Empowerment Consultants & Associates will host its Empowerment Leadership Camp from May 31-June 10
A two-week program will help students increase their confidence and knowledge with the mission being to help them accomplish their goals.
Empowerment Consultants & Associates LLC will host its Empowerment Leadership Camp from May 31 through June 10 at the Alachua County Library District branch at Fred Cone Park, 2801 E. University Ave. Sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for ages 10-18.
The camp topics will be leadership development, mindfulness, martial arts, etiquette, self-esteem, healthy relationships, basics of cryptocurrency, CPR lessons and career exploration.
Participants can register on a first-come first-serve basis and the camp is open to Alachua County students.
Alachua County residents must meet at least one of the eligibility requirements to qualify for a full scholarship:
• One child from families at or below 200% 2021 federal poverty threshold
• Children with individualized educational plan (IEP) and/or 504 plans
• Children in foster care/kinship care
• Children from families receiving snap (EBT) benefits
Sezra Gay, CEO and founder of Empowerment Consultants & Associates, said she has been passionate about helping others ever since she was a young girl growing up in Miami.
“I experienced being bullied,” Gay said. “At times I would fight to get home. I can’t fight everybody. So I learned to communicate with people and talk it out. I learned that there was an art of words to help my situation. Having emotional intelligence can go a long way.”
Gay launched her empowerment leadership camp in March of 2017 during spring break.
“I see each individual as a nation,” said Gay, who moved to Gainesville in 2001. “Everybody is called to do different things.”
She received her masters of arts in counseling with a specialty in mental health at Webster University and she is a certified coach from the John Maxwell team which is a program that trains people to become certified coaches in speaking and leadership.
“Being in the leadership camp, it’s important for us to be innovative,” Gay said. “When technology is changing it is important for us to stay on top of it.”
Andre Pressley was one of the guest speakers during the session on May 31.
Presley is a minister and he remembered Gay helping him when his father died in 2004.
“The loss of my father put me in a rough area in my life,” Pressley said.
Pressley said his school sought a counselor for him to help the grieving process.
He went to Meridian Behavioral Healthcare and that is where he met Gay who helped him through the painful process.
Pressley said the sessions brought balance into his life again.
“It felt like she was my second mom,” Pressley said. “It felt more like an adoption instead of a counseling session.”
Pressley said he encourages parents to enroll their students in this year’s empowerment leadership camp.
“Her God-given purpose is bringing kids closer to God while empowering them through their gifts,” Pressley said. “It is terrific to empower kids to be great. She wakes up every day to serve God and to serve children. Anybody with that heart should be somebody you should have around.”
Stacey Hyers, Empowerment Consultants & Associates’ photographer and a member of its board of directors, said she loves working with Gay to help students feel empowered about themselves.
“When she spoke about it to me, I wanted to be a part of it,” Hyers said. “There’s a look on the young person’s face when you touch them in a certain way, knowing we made an impact in their lives. It’s an empowering thing for kids and I want people to have more access to it.”
This year the camp will be funded by the Alachua County Children’s Trust Fund.
Those interested should email their name and phone number to sgay.services@gmail.com.
