The Space

Our community space is located on the first floor of the Unitarian Universalist Church in downtown Belfast. The space is open to students Monday through Thursday, 9am-4pm and offers a comfortable lounge, quiet spaces for study, indoor and outdoor spaces for meeting, kitchen and laundry. We are a stone’s throw from the Belfast Public Library and a short walk from the beach, rail-trail, hiking trails and numerous partner organizations, from the Belfast Dance Studio to the Game Loft to the Torchlight Media Studio.

How it Works

Members at The Dory Learning Center register as homeschoolers, giving them the freedom to create personalized academic plans that balance academics with hands-on learning, movement, civic engagement and exploration. Youth are free to come and go from the community space during the day, and are encouraged to learn through living and working in the real world. Our goal is to make this type of learning accessible to all youth, regardless of income, resources or background. Instead of a traditional diploma, each student builds a multimedia portfolio documenting their learning journey.

Membership Fees

Membership is on a sliding scale based on what each family can afford.

$3,000-$9,000 per year (at cost = $7,000)

No one turned away for lack of funds. If you cannot pay the membership fee, please contact us about a fee reduction.

Not sure what this means for you? We are happy to set up a meeting to talk more! Families may also choose to contribute in other ways through volunteering, skill-sharing, and participating in school governance.

If you would like to sponsor a youth, make a donation, or if you are interested in fundraising, please contact us!

Staff

David Wessels founded the Dory Learning Center in 2024 after teaching in local public schools for over a decade. He has worked as a Field Instructor with The Open Air Classroom at Tanglewood, coordinated The Garden Project at Troy Howard Middle School, taught at Mano En Mano’s Blueberry Harvest School, and served as the Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator at Belfast Area High School. He believes that autonomy, participation in the world, community and mentorship are essential ingredients missing from contemporary education. He is committed to making liberatory models of education available to all youth.