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“Will you help me? They
caught me red-handed…
I yoked this guy and took his wallet.” |
| — Lee, 17, First DOME
Kid |
It began in 1973 with a phone call from a truant teen
in trouble. From this plea for help, youth center volunteer
John Simon started an alternative classroom where school drop-outs
like Lee could go for educational support and guidance to re-focus
their lives. That first year, one of the tasks the youngsters
completed was a unique science project, the construction of
a geodesic dome. It became a fitting symbol for the multi-faceted
youth organization that emerged. Since then, The DOME Project
has grown into a diverse agency, which has rescued more than
15,000 young at-risk New Yorkers over the past three decades.
| “All a kid wants is a chance.”
|
| — Jonelle, 13, DOME
Kid |
The DOME, an acronym for Developing Opportunities Through
Meaningful Education, serves as a haven to young people
in the community with high truancy rates and involvement in
drugs and crime. Mr. Simon strongly believed that with the right
support and advocacy, such young people could thrive. The DOME’s
mission has always been to help youth both develop and achieve
positive future goals. For more than 30 years, the DOME Project
has built a staff and service network that has successfully
helped thousands of young people to succeed and develop the
necessary skills to gain a sense of self-worth and prepare for
educational success and beyond.
| “We could probably save
a fortune, both emotionally for kids and their families,
as well as taxpayer dollars, if we cloned The DOME.”
|
| — Judge Judith Sheindlin |
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