Paving A Trail of Hope

The mission of The PATHfinder Club is to create supportive paths for youth whose lives have been impacted by incarceration, detention and deportation. We co-create a community where Club members feel comfortable and confident to stay in school and graduate, set and achieve goals, expand their resilience, conquer challenges, embrace opportunities for healing and self-expression and connect in meaningful ways with their peers, loved ones and their community.

The PATHfinder Club includes a network of Clubs serving youth in a variety of settings across the country, working together towards our mission through our vision, values and what we do.

Our Vision

Through art, expression and community PATHfinder Club members pave a trail from hurt and harm to hope and healing.

Our Values

Dignity – We stand tall: We believe that everyone brings a unique worth and value and honoring that starts with respect for all.
Empowerment – We stay strong: We encourage members to recognize and enhance their strengths to become resilient and engaged community members and leaders. We encourage members to recognize and enhance their strengths, becoming resilient and engaged community members and leaders.
Community – We stand together: We believe in the power that comes from connection and the spirit of a nurturing/transformative community.
Voice – We speak up: We amplify the voices of youth to celebrate their resilience, knowledge, and hope.

What we do

We sit together
We eat together
We learn we are not alone
We tell each other our stories
We write, make art, read, sing, dance
We watch films, read books and articles
We listen to each other
We sometimes simply sit quietly together
We strive to help each other in our struggles—emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and social
We invite community members to share their wisdom, their stories, their questions
We publish stories and artwork for the world to see