2025, in one word. 

Phoenix, AZ. January 17, 2025.- These last weeks have been a time of deep reflection, intentional planning, and envisioning what lies ahead. The horizon of 2025 appears both exciting and challenging. The global news and predictions about the state of the world cast a few clouds—a rare sight here in sunny Phoenix. Yet, we see an opportunity to embrace the challenges with hope and resilience. 

At New Pathways for Youth, we are grounded in the intentionality of our mission, a commitment that has sustained us for 36 impactful years. Inspired by our youth, mentors and community – including you – our desire to serve is stronger than ever.  

In collaboration with their mentors and NPFY staff, youth craft and plan their annual goals. Together, they work toward achieving outcomes such as graduating high school, enrolling in college or pursuing other post-secondary education options, and exploring the unknown possibilities in their lives. Above all, the program cultivates a growth mindset to inspire transformation and personal growth. 

Inspired by the resilience and creativity of our youth, we continue to enhance programs and events including Level Up Launch, our enrichment programs, Power Up workshops, and the New Pathways for Youth Scholarship. 

As we kickoff 2025, we’re hard at work developing events to celebrate youth, mentors and our community, including our highly anticipated Stories of Transformation Breakfast. These are vital opportunities for connection and community engagement with our mission and our community. Have you gotten your tickets yet?  Join us at the JW Camel Back Inn on March 6, and be inspired! 

Just as our youth plan and map their goals, so does our team. While we utilize a variety of tools for goal setting, there is one we’d like to share with you, and that is the Word of the Year Guide. Drawing on her years of experience supporting youth and coaching mentors and staff, our Director of Programs developed this creative exercise to help determine the best word to describe your vision for the upcoming year and to ignite purpose and joy. We hope you’ll find it as fun, revealing, and impactful as we did, and we invite you to share it with the important people in your life. 

May it inspire you and your team to build 2025 into a year filled with intentionality, growth, and hope. Together, let’s make it a year of transformation.