Charlestown Club Youth of the Year
Owen MacDonald
In 2004, Owen learned that his father had cancer just as he was entering his teenage years, a challenging time for many youth. Because of his father’s illness, Owen left the house in which he grew up, his school and his friends, to live in Charlestown with his grandmother. He grew up quickly during this time, taking on additional responsibilities for himself and his younger sister, and doing something not all teens are capable of – excelling in the face of adversity.
When he arrived in Charlestown four years ago, he says he was “more or less friendless.” His mother made him join the Charlestown Club where he began to open up and make friends. At 18, he looks back and realizes that he gained insight into himself thanks to several Club programs.
“Keystone Club (a teen leadership program) successfully convinced me that a life lived without giving back to the community is not a life lived well,” Owen says. “And the Japanese classes and subsequent trip to Japan I took have turned out to be one of the deciding factors of my entire future.”
Owen discovered his passion for Japanese culture through Japan Club, a program led by BGCB Social Worker Gregg Stoddard. The year-long intensive class educates members on the language, culture and history of Japan, and rewards the top 10 students in the program with an all-expense-paid trip to the country, thanks to a generous donor who has sponsored the program for four years.
“It became clear to me in the first two weeks of class that Owen would be one of the 10 earning a spot on the trip,” Gregg said. “His drive to learn the language is unequalled in the four years I have run this program.”
Owen plans to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst in the fall and major in Japanese language and culture, ultimately working as a translator. “The Club has truly had an astronomical impact on my life,” he explains.” I’m not entirely sure who I would have been had I not started coming. I’m rather glad I’m not him.”