Pathfinders, a 501 (c) (3) social service agency, was founded in 1993 to operate cognitive-restructuring programs for the Oregon Department of Corrections. Since that time its mission has broadened to include prevention and intervention strategies that are aimed at keeping at-risk clients from entering the criminal justice system. Pathfinders expanded its services to provide parenting-skills training and to operate an alternative-incarceration program in the prisons, as well as cognitive and parenting programs for some Oregon counties. In 1999, Pathfinders began to operate an alternative school for pregnant and/or parenting teens with funding from Portland Public Schools (PPS). In 2008, with additional funding from PPS, Pathfinders opened another school in East Multnomah County.
In 2003, Pathfinders formed a partnership with the Children’s Justice Alliance (CJA) to serve as the official service delivery arm of its programs. Through CJA, Pathfinders provides services to clients who are involved with the Oregon Department of Human Services; it has also provided family based services funded by the United Way and other governments and agencies, such as the City of Portland and the Department of Labor. It is with CJA that Pathfinders operates two Centers for Family Success, where clients can obtain training as well as wrap-around services, helping them stabilize their families and avoid involvement in the criminal justice system. Pathfinders has a long history of meeting (or exceeding) contractual obligations in all of its programs.
Since 1993 Pathfinders has provided training for more than 27,500 inmates, including 3,000 female inmates. Classes have been provided in every state prison in Oregon. Pathfinders has provided parenting training to over 1,000 clients of the Department of Human Services who have involvement with the criminal justice system. The organization has provided educational services to more than 400 pregnant and parenting teens. Pathfinders has a wide range of programs that target criminal justice-involved clients and at-risk youth; the programs address education, parent management, criminal thinking errors, teambuilding, communication, problem-solving, values clarification, anger management, time management, stress management, life planning and cognitive and behavioral skill-building. Programs incorporate self-assessment tools and a variety of teaching techniques, modeled on social learning theory, that actively engage participants in the learning process. Teaching methods engender respect for self and others, and allow participants to experience success and positive reinforcement for responsible behavior.
To support the success of program participants in the community, Pathfinders provides aftercare support groups and resource/referral services, engendering access to supportive housing; employment assistance; and mental health, substance abuse and parenting support. By focusing on the reduction of barriers and the promotion of protective factors for families and children, Pathfinders works toward its mission of breaking the cycle of criminality.
Pathfinders does not publish its employee or board rosters for privacy reasons: inquiries can be fielded at info@pathfindersoforegon.org.
