State and local leaders on Wednesday urged men across California to sign up as volunteers to mentor young men and boys, announcing the California Men's Service Challenge at a press event at the Mid Valley Family YMCA in the San Fernando Valley.

"We are calling on 10,000 young men to step up as mentor, coaches, and tutors across California," said Josh Friday, chief service officer and director of the Governor's Office of Service and Community Engagement, who leads California Volunteers. Friday framed the effort as a response to what he described as a rise in social isolation and other risks facing young men.

The initiative aims to connect men with existing community programs. Victor Dominguez, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, highlighted YMCA offerings such as the organization's Youth in Government program, youth coaching, and the Feed LA volunteer effort as established pathways for volunteer engagement.

"By establishing these pathways, we are giving young men the ability to contribute and be active participants in shaping a healthier, stronger, and more equitable Los Angeles," Dominguez said.

Senator Menjivar, who appeared at the event with state and local officials, said the state is backing the initiative financially. "This is why we're investing an initial $5,000,000 from the state of California," the senator said, describing the funding as seed support for the volunteer corps.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, chair of the Assembly budget committee, said the program is a budgetary and community investment meant to give young people purpose and connection. "It is an investment in opportunity. It's an investment in purpose. It's an investment in service. It's an investment in leadership," Gabriel said.

Speakers at the event cited both crisis indicators and recruitment needs: Friday noted higher suicide risk and gaps in educational and employment outcomes for boys and young men, and multiple presenters urged more male mentors, teachers and youth coaches.

The program organizers also pointed to recent emergency-response deployments as evidence of volunteer capacity. Nick, who described himself as an AmeriCorps member assigned to the California Emergency Response Corps during the recent fires, said California Volunteers and partner organizations deployed dozens of AmeriCorps members to Los Angeles County distribution centers and managed donations and volunteers in impacted communities. "Service is service," he said, noting that volunteering can be a practical way to support mental-health resilience and community recovery.

Personal testimony at the event underscored organizers' pitch. Jeff Diaz, who first used YMCA programs as a child and is now a YMCA staff coach, described how the YMCA provided stability after his family briefly lost housing and how coaching helped him and other youth. "The Y has always changed my life," Diaz said.

Organizers asked people who can volunteer to visit menservicechallenge.com to register or to share information about the effort. The event concluded with speakers moving to participate in a service project and offering limited availability for interviews.

No formal votes or legislative actions were recorded at the event; speakers described a governor's executive order supporting the initiative and cited an initial state appropriation without listing implementing legislation or specific program details beyond the recruitment goal and the stated initial funding amount.