Essex County Teen Helps Change Lives Of His Peers With Video … – Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Jesiah Owens first discovered the healing power of video games when he was a 13-year-old patient at John Hopkins Children’s hospital. While hospitalized, the Essex County teen had two bright spots in his day: a doctor who would stop into his room and play a quick round with him, and the hospital’s arcade. Now, with his online magazine and a recently launched summer camp, the teen entrepreneur is spreading the joy of gaming to his peers – and making the world a better place in the process.

“It’s a tool that actually helps to change people’s lives,” said Owens, now 17, speaking about the use of “play therapy” to reach young people.

After his experience in the hospital, Owens – a Maplewood resident – founded Side Quest Magazine, an interactive digital publication dedicated to gaming and anime. Along the way, he got support from mentors like his Maplewood high school teacher Scott Cohen, and his middle school guidance counselor April Battle, as well as his parents, Larry and Tyler, and his younger brother, Quentin, who are his “biggest supporters.”

Portions of proceeds of every issue are donated to children’s hospitals and organizations assisting young patients.

After the mag took off last year, Owens continued to think about ways to reach out to more of his peers, all with a simple goal: “To get them to use their talent to share their voices.”

Owens has officially realized that dream with the launch of Side Quest Club House – a much-needed respite for teens and kids who have less access to the gaming industry.

Based in a space at an East Orange mansion owned and operated by the Omega Psi Phi’s Eta Pi Montclair and East Orange chapter, the Side Quest Club House gives Owens a chance to share his knowledge of the gaming and publishing worlds. Young gamers can learn how to write and design stories, as well as create illustrations, many of which can end up in the magazine’s next edition.

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The Club House program is funded through the Eta Pi Chapter’s Essex Community Uplift Foundation mentoring grant, made possible through the CLEO Clicks organization.

“Our goal is to meet youth where they are,” said Matt Stevens, mentoring program committee chair, adding that the group is proud to support Owens’ efforts by hosting the club.

In late July, the Club House launched a digital summer session at the Omega Family Resource and Learning Center on South Harrison Street in East Orange, which is geared towards teaching youth how to create an anime magazine.

“My goal is get them to use their talent to share their voices,” Owens said. “It’s important that our youth, especially African Americans, are exposed at a young age to career opportunities that can open up from their interest in gaming and anime.”

The Club House program is a part of the Omega Psi Phi Eta Pi Chapter Summer Mentor Series. Youth can register online here.

As for Owens, he faces a bright future. A Columbia High School graduate, he applied to seven colleges and was accepted to all …. with scholarships. He was awarded and earned a presidential academic scholarship to Ramapo College, where he is planning to earn a master’s degree in business.

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