About Us

Positive Vibes Only started in November of 2018 as a monthly youth open mic/social club created and hosted by Chicagoland singer-songwriter RJ Griffith. The idea came to him because at a young age he was always frustrated that there were not more opportunities for him to showcase his talents. He wondered why adults always got to have all the fun, and now he was finally in the position to change that and give Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana youth the opportunity to showcase their talents and socialize in a positive environment while having an amazing time doing it! This is a chance for our youth to meet new friends while feeling comfortable showing off their creativity in singing, dancing, spoken word, comedy, acting, and more in a judgment-free zone.

In its inception, the event was held in Munster, IN and RJ paid for everything out of pocket, which included free hot meals, prizes for the kids, a DJ, a photographer/videographer and an audio/visual tech. Initially there was a small fee to attend to help cover a portion of these expenses, but essentially RJ was good with putting up some of his own money as long as he knew he was making a difference in these kids’ lives.

Since its formation, the event has gone through quite a few changes. Positive Vibes Only has now officially become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization as of June of 2019, is completely FREE to attend (and still includes free food/snacks, free gift raffles, performances and more) and is now primarily held at East Chicago Church in East Chicago, IN. ECC Pastor Manuel Corazzari was kind enough to let RJ host the event there (for free!) moving forward as he loved what he was doing to impact the lives of the youth. The new Positive Vibes Only now also provides free educational sessions for youth once a month such as group vocal lessons, acting classes, mental health coping skill sessions, anti-bullying sessions along with community events (book bag drives, food drives, etc.).

The mission of Positive Vibes Only is to educate, transform and inspire today’s youth through creativity and performing arts while also giving back to the community as a whole. The vision is for the event to continue growing and eventually become nationwide as a way for young people to have fun and showcase their creativity. The organization is now looking for volunteers, donations and partnership opportunities to be able to provide more resources for our youth at each event. Help RJ make positivity louder with Positive Vibes Only!