Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater NWI helps students transform their futures during Engineers Week 2026 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana is dedicated to providing children throughout the Region with a variety of opportunities to explore and engage the world around them. Throughout the week of February 22, the Clubs celebrated Engineers Week with the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), introducing students of all ages to how the field of engineering shapes the world around them with a theme of transforming the future.

“Engineers Week is a national celebration of engineers, and in our organization we are trying to celebrate it together with our members. We raise the awareness of what engineering is and bring engineers and our kids closer in hopes that they can be inspired in pursuing any of the STEM careers. Engineering principles apply to the world, with applications every day, everywhere. And our kids should not be afraid of it, but actually be able to recognize it, and hopefully get inspired to pursue those careers,” Marina Kirova, senior director of education and academic programming said. 

Representatives from eleven Northwest Indiana companies visited each of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana’s nine Clubs, discussing how engineers have a much wider impact than many realize. From smartphones to city infrastructure to life-saving medical machinery, an engineer is able to combine their knowledge with creative problem-solving to change the world.

“Engineers don’t just build structures, they build futures,” said Ken Coleman, Business Development Manager/Project Engineer at Stevens Engineers & Constructors. “Engineering is about solving problems and creating opportunity. We are proud to support the next generation at Boys & Girls Club this Engineers Week.”

Engineers Week is an annual event celebrating engineering and introducing the next generation of the workforce to the field. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater NWI finds that the hands-on nature of STEM subjects keeps students engaged in their learning, making the Clubs’ participation in Engineers Week with NSPE a win on all sides.

Electrical Engineer, Lamira Bland from Urschel, led eWeek sessions at the Hammond and Valparaiso Boys & Girls Clubs. She helped participants work in teams to build a bridge using either paper or aluminum foil, which needed to hold the weight of 40 pennies. The activity allowed the kids to get hands-on experience on the impact of weight distribution and a structural foundation when building. In another session, she challenged kids to build a robot that could draw using simple tools like a plastic cup, markers, and a compact rotor, encouraging creativity while getting them acquainted with beginner’s mechanics. 

“These challenges were not just fun activities, but they were introductions to engineering,” Bland shared. “This is important as it allows our youth to enhance their problem-solving skills, critical thinking, open their minds to other creative approaches, and build their confidence. Engineering can be viewed as difficult or not interesting, but when kids can see that engineering principles are all around them in various ways, these mental challenges can be eliminated.”

A representative from Invenergy, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater NWI supporter and eWeek participant, also weighed in on the impact of bringing awareness to the great potential within the field of engineering.

“At Invenergy, we believe in investing in the future of energy, which means investing in education and hands-on learning opportunities for today’s youth. We are proud to volunteer with Boys & Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana during eWeek by supporting their Women in STEM programming, and we look forward to inspiring the next generation of innovators,” shared Abby Lerner, Community Engagement Associate at Invenergy.

During their activity, members at the Portage Club learned about wind energy, then built windmills using some common household items powered by a small motor. Portage Club Director, Gerald Watt, shared his thoughts on what eWeek means to the kids at his Club. 

“It gives our kids opportunities to do something they haven’t done before. One of the big events, like this, shows students the job opportunities available to them right here in the Region,” Club Director Gerald Watt said.

Engineers Week is one of several ways that Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater NWI helps to connect its students with the job opportunities available right in Northwest Indiana. The Region’s businesses face growing workforce demand, so every opportunity to show students that they don’t need to leave Northwest Indiana to find a job helps bridge the talent gap while keeping our brightest young minds within our local communities.

“Exploring engineering is very important, especially nowadays, when we have all these new companies building their data centers and manufacturing plants right here in Northwest Indiana. The need for qualified personnel is going to just grow in the future. Therefore, we need to prepare our kids, whether they pursue a four-year degree or finish with a high school diploma and then get some certificates, or even pursue some apprenticeships. Their experiences will help the economy of the whole Region by helping our kids to get better jobs,” Kirova said.

Learn more about becoming involved by visiting NSPE’s website. 

Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana and its upcoming events at bgcgreaternwi.org.