Connecting with children isn’t rocket science to Jonathan Owens, the program coordinator at the Valparaiso Boys and Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana. Owens' perfect formula involves humor, empathy and educating our youth. Created on the theater stage, he uses his goofy, extroverted personality to connect with children of all ages.
"One of the things we always strive to do is make the Club a very welcoming place for them, a place where they can grow both educationally but also socially,” Owens said. “This becomes a place that they can't get from a babysitter.”
Owens grew up in Crown Point before his parents relocated the family to Columbus, Indiana. At the end of high school, Owens was craving a different scenery and a change in pace. Northwest Indiana felt like the right decision for himself, his mom and his sister because of the fond memories he had of the area.
When a family emergency led him to stop his brief college stint, Owens got a job with AmeriCorps through the Red Cross. He fell in love with nonprofits while assisting the local community.
Along with working for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana, Owens stretches his artistic muscle with the Memorial Opera House’s youth theatre program as the director of education.
“I started doing things with the Memorial Opera House, and that's kind of how I discovered Valparaiso,” Owens said. “I was doing some shows with them – I think at the time it was ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ – and I was like, ‘Wow, this town is a hidden gem!’”
Owens helps children find a sense of belonging in his positions at the Memorial Opera House and the Valparaiso Boys and Girls Club — and sometimes they meet in the middle. He stepped up when the Memorial Opera House was in need of a larger space for youth classes and production rehearsals. The partnership also allowed children to discover the club through memberships and learn theatre in a proper space.
This collaboration became a bigger deal last year when the Memorial Opera House wanted to take a step further in inclusivity. The theatre organization became a Chapter site with The Penguin Project, a national program providing a welcoming space for children with developmental disabilities to explore their own creativity on stage. The Boys and Girls Club served as the space for “Annie Jr.”
A collapsible stage was built, and the peer mentors grew with their counterparts. Opening night saw a red carpet for the hardworking talent, a standing ovation, tears on and off the stage and parents seeing their children in a community they’re not used to experiencing.
“Obviously, I love to work with kids and make a difference,” Owens said. “To be able to do that in theatre — in the place that I love — has been the most rewarding thing I've ever done with my life. I'm living the high life right now, being able to work with these two great organizations and make a difference in the community.”
Mark Yeaton, Owens’ memorable fourth grade teacher, influenced Owens to curve his life path to where he is today. Yeaton possessed the rock-star energy of Jack Black in “School of Rock,” going as far as writing educational songs and fighting for approval on innovative teaching methods.
“His whole teaching method was thinking outside the box and being very hands on with everything that he taught,” Owens said. “I try his approach in everything I do. He really is that focal point of how it can be done. If I am able to think back and have such a strong memory of all of my fourth grade year, that's what I strive to do with these kids.”
The Boys and Girls Club is a second home for many children. They can grow, develop and form positive core memories to fondly look back on in this safe space. Owens stresses inclusivity, openness and availability of resources for all children within the club. In his new position, Owens has a background job as he oversees the success of the many programs the club offers. Even then, Owens believes humor connects with children the most, a characteristic he focuses on in larger settings.
"He spoke to the teens all the way down to the kiddos like they need to hear — room by room, age by age,” said GreatNews.Life Founder Chris Mahlmann. “He was authentically connecting with that room and that age group from the moment he walked into the room to the moment he left.”
Owens attributes his ability to connect with children in a fun environment to theatre, which helped him overcome introversion. The 6-feet-7-inch individual dresses up as characters like Hagrid and the Grinch to help create a fun environment for the children. It helps that Owens also has a natural passion for working with young people. Working with children is his calling in life.
The Boys and Girls Club is often seen as a glorified daycare center by the outside community, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Children experience a variety of educational programming, including STEM projects, VR experiences and history lessons. Members of the community volunteer in the tutoring program to help students with homework and STEM experiments. Children are also able to practice social interactions with their peers.
Owens believes the club’s work is crucial in shaping the future of society, as the children are the future generation. Helping them stay on the correct paths will lead them to grow into functioning members of society. The Valparaiso Boys and Girls Club offers tours to potential members or curious community members who want to see what happens within the club everyday.
“We strive to do so much more than just look after the kids that go through these doors,” Owens said. “We want to enrich them. We want to help them out with their life, through all of the amazing grants that we're able to run here and the amazing programming that we come up with. I think that is our main goal.”
To learn more about the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana, visit www.bgcgreaternwi.org.