The Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown hosted their Unity Strong event Saturday, September 18. 

Unity Strong is run by Youngstown Police Officer Malik Mostella, and is for girls ages 8 to 18. 

The event hosts a prominent female speaker from the area to share her story, participate in a Q&A, and to have lunch with the girls after. 

Mostella has been hosting this event since January, with an event on the third Saturday of every month. There is also a new speaker at every event/ 

The event is to honor and encourage female empowerment, and to encourage young women from the area. 

"We concentrate a lot on the boys, and we should, but we also need to concentrate on the girls as well," says Mostella

"The girls need to see that there are women from the area doing big things, we want them to think that if they can do it, than so can I," says Mostella. 

The next Unity Strong event will be Saturday, October 16, from 12:30p.m. to 1:30p.m.