Faces of the Door

"The Door showed me the stars..."

At first glance, The Door can seem overwhelming — vibrant artwork hangs from the walls; announcements are made about DJ classes and art therapy sessions; young people gather for workshops on everything from legal issues to sexual health to setting career goals. It can be a lot to handle, especially for a young immigrant like Wei Jie, who was 14 and had just moved from China when he came here. Fortunately he met the coordinator of The Door's English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, a Chinese speaker herself, and immediately felt at home.

The Door welcomed Wei Jie with open arms and he quickly built his English skills. After a few months, he decided to pursue other interests. He was lucky to be here during the formation of iPower, which stands for Immigrant People Organizing and Working for Empowerment and Rights, a program that seeks to provide services, educate and empower immigrants living in New York City. iPower includes many different sub-programs, like iCook, iDo Theater and iTech, that fit the interests and needs of The Door's ESOL students. Wei Jie became involved in iTour so that he could help translate and give tours for new immigrant members.

Wei Jie is also now involved in Learning to Succeed, where he gets individual attention and support to help him finish high school and make plans for college and a career. As part of this program, he works with tutors in Talent Search who helped him study for the SATs and apply for college. As part of his time at The Door, Wei Jie got to go to a summer camp in Beacon, New York, that he describes as, "a totally new experience — spending all day with friends, staying up and talking until late at night. It was the first time I felt so close to nature, and the first time since moving to New York that I was able to see stars in the sky."