SACRAMENTO — California's newly announced "men's service challenge" is intended to recruit men across the state to serve as mentors, tutors and coaches for young people, Josh Bridal, California's chief service officer, said in an interview.

"So far, we've had, almost 1000 men step up to meet the challenge that we put out," Bridal said, adding the administration has set a goal of enlisting 10,000 men during its term. He said the office has engaged "over 200 organizations" that have told the state the effort meets a real need.

Bridal framed the campaign as a response to what he described as broader social challenges facing young men, including higher suicide risk and lower rates of college attendance and employment. Asked whether the program was making immediate connections, he said organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters are already matching some signees with youth and that the effort is designed to expand those pathways.

The interview said the program was launched at a Sacramento grammar school and that Bridal has traveled to communities affected by violence, including Stockton. "We've invested in the last 5 years over $25,000,000 into Stockton," Bridal said, describing those funds as investments in youth programs and homeless-prevention services, and saying the state plans continued support.

Bridal described the California Service Corps — the state-run service network overseen by his office — as the largest state service force in the country and said it receives ongoing legislative funding. He cited partners on the men's service challenge including the YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the San Francisco Giants Foundation.

The interview included assertions about generational health and wellbeing that were raised in the program's broader framing. An unidentified speaker in the record said young men were "the most alcohol addicted, most drug addicted, most suicidal" and "the most depressed, most medicated generation in history;" those statements were presented as claims in the interview and were not supported with source documents or citations during the conversation.

There were no formal votes, ordinances or motions recorded in this interview. Bridal characterized the men's service challenge as an initial step that will require time and sustained work to address the problems he described.

The governor's office of service and community engagement (California Volunteers) is driving the initiative, Bridal said. The office did not provide additional documentation of current matches, long-term funding commitments tied specifically to the men's service challenge, or an itemized breakdown of the Stockton investment during the interview.