Staying Rooted While We Move Forward

We are living through a profound shift not just in words, but in the conditions shaping our work with and for young people. The cultural terrain is changing. What once felt like shared commitments to justice, opportunity and belonging, now too often spark controversy. But this shift is not a retreat; it is a call to deepen, clarify, and act with renewed resolve. We are here to build systems where every young person can thrive.

From Debate to Direction

In schools, districts, and youth-serving organizations across the country, we are hearing the same message: the ground is moving. Leaders are navigating fear, backlash, and bans. This is not about finding safer words. This is about staying laser-focused on outcomes. When our language gets clearer, our impact can go deeper.

Now is the time to:

• Remove structural barriers to growth and belonging
• Expand access to learning, connection, and opportunity
• Align systems with the strengths, needs, and lived realities of youth

The Shift Is the Work

At Search Institute, we see this moment as an invitation to lead with humility and courage. We do not center language. We center young people. Whether partners speak of “academic success,” “thriving,” or “equity,” our purpose remains the same: to support the creation of relationship-rich environments that cultivate strengths, expand opportunities, and foster belonging.

That means:

• Designing youth-centered systems that honor identity, dignity, and agency
• Elevating developmental relationships as the foundation for well-being and growth
• Advancing approaches that are measurable, felt, and sustained

Leading Through the Shift

This moment calls for more than linguistic adaptation. It demands principled adaptability—staying grounded in purpose while being responsive in practice.

We will:

• Flex with how we communicate, without compromising what we stand for
• Remain consistent in what we measure, deliver, and improve
• Embrace the complexity of working across divides while holding firm to our values

We will speak in terms that bring people in, not water down what matters.

We’re not afraid to use the word “equity”—and we’re also not afraid to speak the language our partners need to move work forward in their unique contexts. Because what we are building together is more than a phase. It’s a future rooted in relationships, shared wisdom, and systems that truly support every young person.

Our North Star Remains

This is not a season of retreat—but rather, a season of reinvention. Together with our partners, we are rising to the challenge with purpose and resolve.

Our language may shift. Our strategies may evolve.

But our commitment is constant:

Each and every young person, experiencing the developmental relationships and opportunities they need to learn, grow, contribute, and thrive.