Guidelines for using The Lantern Project.

Acceptance of these terms

By using this website, you agree to these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the website. We may update these terms by posting a revised version with a new effective date.

Educational resource, not professional care

The Lantern Project provides general educational information, reflection tools, and possible starting points. It does not provide therapy, medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, treatment, emergency services, or guidance tailored to your circumstances.

Using this website does not create a therapist and client, physician and patient, counselor and client, fiduciary, or other professional relationship with The Guided Pathway Foundation, Give Energy Make Smiles, their personnel, contributors, or partners. Do not delay or disregard professional care because of information on this website.

Emergencies and urgent needs

If you or someone else may be in immediate danger, call 911. For emotional distress or suicidal thoughts in the United States, call or text 988. This website is not monitored as a crisis or emergency service.

The site uses automated rules to recognize some urgent wording and redirect visitors toward emergency information. Automated detection can misunderstand language or fail to recognize an emergency. Do not wait for or rely on the website to identify danger, contact emergency services, or provide crisis support.

AI-assisted matching and search

Optional own-words features use automated systems, including Cloudflare Workers AI and Meta Llama models, to match short text with existing Lantern guides, pathways, audience routes, and verified resource categories. The system may also use local rules when AI service is unavailable or a request is unclear.

Automated results are possible starting points, not statements about what you feel, professional recommendations, diagnoses, eligibility decisions, or instructions you must follow. Results may be incomplete, inaccurate, unavailable, or affected by ambiguous wording. Review the description, choose what fits, refine the search when needed, and seek qualified help for decisions requiring personal assessment.

Do not submit confidential or identifying information through an own-words field. The Privacy Policy explains how that text and related operational information are processed.

Lantern Arcade

Lantern Arcade provides short educational games, daily challenges, reflections, and real life practice prompts. Answers, explanations, scores, streaks, badges, quality results, and suggested actions are learning tools. They are not clinical assessments, diagnoses, professional recommendations, or measures of a person's character, mental health, ability, or progress.

Some questions are designed around a best supported response, while others allow more than one reasonable perspective. Use the explanation as an invitation to think, not as a judgment about you or a decision you must follow. Consider your circumstances, safety, culture, age, and the needs of other people before acting on a prompt.

Arcade progress is saved only in the browser you use and may be unavailable, incomplete, reset, or removed when browser data changes. Streaks, release dates, scores, badges, and game availability are not guaranteed and have no cash value. Do not rely on them as a permanent record.

Information and local resources

We work to provide useful and timely information, but feelings, needs, services, eligibility, hours, phone numbers, and other circumstances can change. We do not guarantee that every statement or third party resource is complete, current, available, or appropriate for you. Confirm important information directly with the relevant provider and use your judgment when deciding what action to take.

Organizations in the resource directory are independent. Lantern does not determine eligibility, availability, cost, or which service is right for a particular situation.

Some professional profiles in Lantern Community Resource are sponsored listings. Sponsorship is paid advertising that may affect listing format and featured placement, but it does not constitute an endorsement, guarantee professional suitability, or promise any result. Featured sponsored listings may rotate when multiple eligible listings serve the same location or category, so featured status does not guarantee a permanent first position, a particular number of views, contacts, clients, or other outcome. Verify credentials, licensure, availability, costs, and fit directly with the provider.

Sponsored listing applications

Submitting an application does not guarantee approval, create a sponsorship agreement, or require immediate payment. Payment is requested only after an application is reviewed and approved. Sponsorship price, category, service area, start date, duration, renewal, cancellation terms, and any additional requirements will be confirmed before a sponsored placement begins.

A sponsorship fee purchases advertising placement and is not represented as a charitable contribution or tax-deductible donation. Applicants must provide accurate, current information; have authority to represent the listed organization or professional; hold every license, credential, permission, and insurance required for the services advertised; and promptly report material changes. Applicants may not claim that a sponsored or featured placement is an endorsement, certification, referral, or guarantee by The Guided Pathway Foundation.

We may decline, request changes to, suspend, or remove a listing that is inaccurate, misleading, unlawful, outside the project's purpose, harmful to visitors, or inconsistent with these terms. Providers remain solely responsible for their services, professional duties, client relationships, claims, fees, availability, and compliance with applicable laws and licensing rules.

Magnet requests

Adults and teenagers age 13 or older may submit the simplified request. Teenagers should involve a trusted adult before sharing delivery information; children under 13 should ask a parent or guardian to submit the request. You agree to provide accurate information and not submit another person's information without authorization. Availability is limited, and submitting a request does not guarantee approval, delivery, timing, or quantity.

Calendar reminders

The calendar feature is an optional convenience that helps you return to a pathway. Your device or calendar provider controls whether an event is accepted, displayed, synchronized, or delivered as a notification. We do not guarantee that any reminder will appear at a particular time.

Review the date, time, alert, event details, and calendar privacy settings before saving. A neutral event title does not make an entry confidential, especially on a shared, public, workplace, or school managed calendar.

Do not rely on a Lantern calendar reminder for medical care, personal safety, emergencies, crisis support, deadlines, or any situation where a missed or delayed alert could cause harm.

Donations, purchases, and external services

Donation, sponsorship, book purchase, and calendar links may take you to Zeffy, Google Calendar, or another independent service. Their terms, privacy practices, payment processes, fees, refund rules, and service terms may apply. A link does not mean we control or guarantee a third party service.

Tax deductibility depends on the nature of a payment and your circumstances. Consult an appropriate tax professional if you need advice.

Intellectual property and acceptable use

The website and its text, graphics, branding, organization, and original materials are owned by or licensed to The Guided Pathway Foundation and its contributors. You may use the site for personal, educational, and other lawful noncommercial purposes. You may not copy, sell, republish, scrape, interfere with, misrepresent, or exploit the site or its materials except as permitted by law or with written permission.

Disclaimers and limitation of liability

The website is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Guided Pathway Foundation and its contributors disclaim warranties regarding accuracy, availability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, they will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from use of or reliance on the website or linked services. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded or limits rights provided by applicable law.

Contact

Questions about these terms may be sent to info@theguidedpathwayfoundation.com.