BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — One community leader is hosting a three-day leadership boot camp this summer in hopes to bring some young women in Western New York to learn about the importance of being resilient.
One student, Malik Williams, took part in the program last summer is a football player and senior at St. Francis High School.
He says he was no stranger to the hard work he faced during boot camp, but he had an itch.
"But it put me through the wringer because I was away from my phone,” he says. “I mean I'm not too big on social media, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, but it was a fun experience overall."
Malik also says the intense training showed him how to be more understanding.
"Like playing in the football team here and after the boot camp, I understand what others be going through,” he expresses. “So I'm not so quick to try to yell at someone when they mess up or something.
This intense summer core leadership training will soon have 50 Black, and Brown young women in Western New York face the same challenges.
The Director of Resiliency at Villa Maria College Duncan Kirkwood says the focus is to have these incoming students unleash their inner greatness.
"The start of this conference with the idea that these young women have greatness inside them,” the director says. “And that's why we're calling it to unleash your greatness. We're just trying to help them get it out. So we're going to push them."
Rashika Hall is a mother of a student who also took part in the training and says her kid came back applying what he learned at boot camp.
"And he still does that whether I tell him to work out, spend time with the lord, or do your homework,” the mother says. “He's taken more initiative and that I saw immediately after the boot camp."
The leadership training will begin in late June.
Click here to find more details on where to register your student.
