We’re delighted to shine a light on Pathfinders Milwaukee, which is a founding member of the PPI Members Network. For more than 50 years, Pathfinders has served youth and young adults who are hard to reach and often have nowhere else to turn. A key facet of Pathfinders’ mission is to incorporate the voice of their youth participants into the design, implementation, and evaluation of their programs and services. The result is an inclusive and innovative organization that uplifts young people who face significant barriers.
Pathfinders engages with people ages 11 to 25, with an emphasis on serving youth with low or extremely low income; Youth of Color; gender and sexually diverse people; young people who experienced significant trauma, including sexual trafficking or exploitation; those who live with a mental health issue; and young people who lack a safe, welcoming place to live.
Pathfinders staff serve their youth through their Drop-In Center, youth shelter, street outreach, supported housing programs, clinical services, and basic needs programs, all of which enable these youth to feel seen, heard, and empowered.
In addition to Pathfinders’ participation in our PPI Members Network, Community Advocates has the good fortune of collaborating with this life-changing organization in other ways. Pathfinders delivers substance use prevention and life skills curricula to their youth as a partner in our Brighter Futures Initiative-Milwaukee and Stay Strong Milwaukee programming; is a partner in the RISE Drug Free MKE coalition, organized by PPI; and is a fellow member of the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness.
