Pathwise - formerly DreamCatchers

On this Giving Tuesday, we’re especially grateful for the donors who make Pathwise possible. 💜

Today we’re spotlighting two of our 8th graders—both in their 3rd year at Pathwise with older siblings who also came through the program. They share what Pathwise means to them: a place of belonging, friendship, and real support.

Join us in making sure every deserving student has access to a community like this: www.pathwise.org/donate

With gratitude,
Team Pathwise

Pathwise was honored to be recognized with this beautiful street art at the by the incredibly talented artist, 💜

Thank you to and for all the effort you put into amplifying the beautiful artwork created that weekend and the causes the art supported.

We launched our new name, Pathwise, and the start of the school year with an ice cream social and ribbon cutting in front of our very first office at Ventura Community Center!

Thank you to our students, families, alumni, mentors and Board Members (past and present) for being in community with us! Special thanks to for hosting us in your space and our partners (including Principal Courtney from Greene Middle School and )for showing up to celebrate with us!

📣 Big news: After nearly 20 years as DreamCatchers, we have a new name: Pathwise. Tagline: Belong, believe, become.

Why the change? Because this isn’t about catching dreams; it’s about closing the opportunity gap for less-resourced and historically underrepresented middle-schoolers in Palo Alto.

We’re the only free, non-profit after-school enrichment program for Palo Alto middle schoolers, offering:
💬 Social-emotional learning
📚 Academic support
🤝 “Near-peer” mentoring
🏫 A safe, welcoming space

We also support families with parent education, school guidance, and advocacy (success is a team sport).
💜 New name, fresh look, same heart: hundreds of students served since 2008, countless futures changed.
🔗 Learn more and support: www.pathwise.org

Happy Halloween from the DreamCatchers staff! 🦋🎃 👻 💚🖤

✨Student Spotlight ✨

Meet John, a DreamCatchers seventh grade student! John has been a part of DreamCatchers since the fall of 2023, and shared that his favorite DreamCatchers memory has been playing Fortnite with his friend Jose during our scheduled Brain Break time. When John grows up, he wants to be a CEO or the president of the United States and shares that the best advice he’s gotten is to “never give up!”

✨Classroom Director Spotlight ✨

Meet Katie, a DreamCatchers classroom director and college sophomore. Katie has been a classroom director since January of this year. She shares that her favorite DreamCatchers memory has been the staff versus students kickball game during this past summer, which the staff won! Katie’s dream career is working with kids, either with psychology or education and shares that the best advice she’s heard is to “do something you are passionate about, because you will ultimately be successful!”

✨Tutor Spotlight ✨

Meet Mayu, a tutor at DreamCatchers and a highschool senior! Mayu shares that her favorite part of DreamCatchers so far has been when the student she was tutoring gave her candy as a thank you gift. When Mayu grows up, she wants to be a biologist and shares that the best advice she’s gotten is, “Just try to do your best!”

✨Classroom Director Spotlight ✨

Meet Eva, a DreamCatchers classroom director and college junior. Eva has been a classroom director at DreamCatchers since the summer of 2023. She shares that her favorite DreamCatchers memory is when “when [DreamCatchers staff] play games against [students] outside and sometimes [staff] beat [the students] and they sometimes destroy [the staff]”. Eva’s dream career is being a writer and shares that the best advice she’s heard is “Don’t listen to the people who doubt you because in reality, they only doubt themselves!”

✨Tutor Spotlight ✨

Meet Aritra, a tutor at DreamCatchers and a junior at Gunn High School! Aritra shares that his favorite DreamCatchers memory has been watching his student grow over the years and learn to focus better. When Aritra grows up he wants to be a mathematical economist and shares that the best advice he’s gotten is “don’t fight battles without a reason!”

✨Student Spotlight ✨!

Meet Jose, a DreamCatchers seventh grade student! Jose has been a part of DreamCatchers since the summer of 2022, and has shared that his favorite DreamCatchers memory has been playing Fortnite with his friend John during our scheduled Brain Break time. When Jose grows up, he wants to be a guy that does a good job and shares that the best advice he’s gotten is to “never back down”!