Newsom announces $5 million to recruit 10,000 mentors through California Volunteers

SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state is investing $5,000,000 to expand mentorship and paid service opportunities for young men, part of a new "California Men's Service Challenge" led by California Volunteers.

Newsom said the effort is intended to encourage young men and boys to engage with their communities and to respond to rising mental-health concerns among young males. He described the program as creating paid roles for mentors, coaches and tutors and set a target of involving 10,000 young men in the initiative.

Newsom offered an illustrative example, saying Alessandro, a 19-year-old, was "grateful to the mentor from Big Brothers Big Sisters who came into his life when he was 10," a personal story Newsom used to underscore the program's aims. An unnamed participant in the remarks added, "I don't think there's a single person out there that can honestly say that they've gotten to where they are in their life, professional career or otherwise ... I think that's reason enough to wanna be a mentor." The testimonial framed mentorship as both practical support and civic service.

According to Newsom, California Volunteers will lead the recruitment and program development; the governor described the initiative as creating "new paid service opportunities" and said funding will support pairings of young people with mentors close to their age to foster relatability and belonging. The announcement did not specify program start dates, the breakdown of how the $5 million will be allocated across counties or organizations, or any measurable benchmarks beyond the 10,000-mentor goal.

The governor cited expected increases in suicide rates among young males over the next two years as part of the rationale for the challenge; he did not provide supporting data during these remarks. There were no formal votes or policy actions reported in the transcript attached to this announcement. Newsom's office and California Volunteers were listed as leading the effort; details about timelines, participating nonprofit partners beyond the example of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and performance measures were not specified in the remarks.

Officials did not specify next procedural steps or deadlines during the remarks; further clarification from the governor's office or California Volunteers will be needed to learn how the funds will be distributed and when recruitment will begin.