When our youth are encouraged to dream, the world feels different.
When they experience their dreams, the world becomes theirs.
A new era of Dallas-Fort Worth is underway. The metroplex is facing its most pressing challenge and greatest opportunity:
Aligning Dallas-Fort Worth’s booming growth model with real opportunities for all communities.
The DEA is a nonprofit, community-based learning and student-led business enterprise purpose-built to open career pathways into the $3 Trillion Media, Entertainment, and Technology industries.
PROBLEM
We're approaching building DEA like any high-growth startup – identifying urgent problems and building real solutions. Three key insights are driving our plan:
SCHOOLS ARE NOT PREPARING STUDENTS FOR HIGH GROWTH, HIGH IMPACT INDUSTRIES.
Only 25% of school curricula prepare students for their careers. Now more than ever, students need real-world skills and exposure to industries shaping the economy. But the need to equip youth with critical thinking skills and necessary tools for a career is often under-prioritized particularly at public high schools serving lower income communities.
NO WARM INTROS. NO COUSIN AT ROBLOX. NO CLEAR PATH INTO THE PIPELINE.
One of the key challenges in expanding the $3 Trillion Media, Entertainment and Technology industry’s talent pool is the lack of nontraditional candidates. Few are in industry internships or entry-level jobs, and many highly skilled young professionals from varied backgrounds lack the familial awareness or connections to pursue these careers.
IT’S HARD TO DREAM BIG WHEN YOU’RE NOT EVEN IN THE ROOM.
Nationwide, chronic student absenteeism (missing 10% or more of school days) saw a sharp increase post-pandemic, reaching 28% in 2021-22 and remained elevated at 26% in 2022-23.
In the 75216 zip code,
students are experiencing
up to 47% chronic absenteeism.
WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT IT
Through deep partnerships with trusted local and national leaders, the DEA is pioneering a new model of learning: blending Arts, STEM, and Industry-driven education to re-engage students and create real career pathways.​
Always free of charge.
REDUCING CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
We’re addressing Absenteeism by incentivizing students back to the classroom – they must be enrolled to receive our cutting-edge, hands-on learning and world-class mentorship.
ADDRESSING AN OPPORTUNITY GAP
We’re addressing an Opportunity Gap by providing direct access to career opportunities in industries that once felt out of reach. Right now, too many talented students don’t even know these opportunities exist.
TEACHING REAL WORLD, IN-DEMAND SKILLS
We’re teaching real-world skills in Gaming, Music, the Creator Economy, and Software Development – the growth drivers of the Media, Entertainment, and Technology sectors.
MODEL
The DEA educates, equips, and empowers motivated but underchampioned youth – grades 7-12, including those struggling with absenteeism – with the skills, platform, and access they need to build real futures. ​
Our model enables the DEA to be self-sustaining, and the host community to produce more entrepreneurs and accelerate its own economic independence.
Summer 2025: Piloting DEA's beta curriculum in Southern Dallas.
COALITION
DEA is built on a coalition-driven approach, working alongside powerful partners and individual leaders from across Education, Technology, Hollywood, Venture Capital, and Law. Together, we will reshape entry-level hiring profiles and boardrooms by preparing thousands of young, diverse talents — beginning in Southern Dallas.
DONATE
Supporting the DEA is an investment in economic mobility – a way to ensure that North Texas' explosive creative and business growth is accessible to all.
All DONATIONS will support DOC Cares' flagship education initiative, the Dreams Experience Academy (DEA), dedicated to equipping underrepresented youth in grades 7–12, who are enrolled in school, with the tools and pathways needed to pursue careers in the $3 Trillion combined Media, Entertainment, and Technology industries. By investing in these students, DEA also helps the host community accelerate economic independence and narrow a generational opportunity gap.
Your donation will fuel the rapid implementation of our DEA plan, and help us meet an ambitious timeline to impact — and deliver generational results for Dallas.
Use your mobile phone camera to link to our donation page via this QR code. Every donation is tax deductible and automatically receives a donation receipt. DOC CARES uses Zeffy.com, trusted by over 50,000 nonprofit organizations.
