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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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