Overview

• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $5 million investment to expand paid service opportunities under the California Men's Service Challenge.
• Over the next two years, California Volunteers will combine the new roles with thousands of existing California Service Corps positions while asking 10,000 men to serve as mentors, coaches and tutors.
• Grant funding will back near‑peer models, bolster partner organizations’ capacity to engage more young men and offer education awards as incentives.
• State leaders and partners, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, promoted the recruitment push at an Orange County event as part of the early rollout.
• State materials cite rising suicide risk and disconnection, noting that nearly one in four men under 30 report no close friends along with declines in male labor‑force participation and college enrollment.