Development:
The Vision:
The Door's vision is to make the Baltimore Metro area known for its communities, where the people of God minister together in faith, unity and love. We believe that faith, combined with works, will yield wonders.
The Programs:
The Door has established three areas which work with various aspects of poverty-stricken Baltimore communities to increase the quality of life for its people, and to provide them, especially the children, with the chance to enter into a hopeful perspective on life.
Statistics for East Baltimore cite a 64 percent school dropout rate and an 82 percent teen pregnancy rate. Fifty-four percent of East Baltimore's residents are unemployed -- which accounts for 23 percent of our community's families living below the poverty line. The subsequent pervasive presence of drug trafficking, crime, and abuse in this community further exacerbates the problems children face every day.
The overall strategy of The Door's programs is to provide activity and instruction after school ("Dooring the Week") and in the summer ("Dooring the Summer") to counter the negative effects of these problems on children and youth, to offer families a weekly support network (Family Matters), and to build character through sports programs where the principles of teamwork and mutual respect are fostered (Sports Matters). Programs generally take place at The Door's headquarters, located in the heart of the East Baltimore community, two blocks from the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Since 1988, we have been providing children and families participating in these programs with the space, the skills and the information that enable the programs to succeed.
The Door provides weekly activity and instruction after school ("Dooring the Week") and in the summer ("Dooring the Summer"). The Door is a "safe haven," an environment that allows children to interact safely with their peers and their instructors for an extended period of time. Both programs have incorporated reading, computer and math skills to affect directly the academic performance of the participants in school."Dooring" programs place values development and ethical decision-making skills at a high priority. They aim to influence the community, culture and attitudes of these children regarding the challenges they will face, the life choices they will have to make, and their confidence and perceptions of their own potential for growth and success. These children have the potential to become the change agents of East Baltimore's revitalization as a community: they are the city's future.
- Homework assistance
- tutoring
- substance abuse
- violence prevention programming
- cultural events
- field trips
- organized play that emphasizes teamwork and sportsmanship
- art
- music
Partners:
Americorps, Loyola College Center for Values & Service
Offers families weekly support through three program components: workshops, Mom's Night Out, Caring Hurts, and Family Fun Activities. The mission of the program isto support positive family interaction in the midst of the difficultiesthey face as part of one of the most dangerous inner-city communities in Baltimore.Program Activities: Hay-rides for the whole family; nutrition training for the moms (withan occasional movie without the kids); weekly support meetings where issuessuch as violence, substance abuse, physical abuse are discussed.
Sports Matters
Project Goals/Process:
Designed to build character through the principles of teamwork, mutual respect, and the basic skills of team sports. Participation offers an alternative to "street" activities.