Leaders in California are calling upon ten thousand men to mentor young men.
It’s part of the California Men’s Service Challenge, a statewide initiative “to empower the next generation of young men and boys—through service, leadership, and connection,” according to its website. The state teamed up with the YMCA for the initiative.
During a press conference at a YMCA location in Van Nuys on Monday, Josh Fryday, the director of the Governor’s Office of Community Service and Engagement, said they need men in the state to serve as mentors and coaches in communities.
“We're living in a time of incredible isolation, loneliness, disconnection, division, and we're seeing a sober reality where young men are now four times more likely to commit suicide than young women,” he said. “They're less likely to go to college. They're more likely to be unemployed here in California, and they're also less likely to volunteer.”
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Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel called it a “crisis of disconnection, of loneliness, of lack of opportunity.”
“What we're here to say is that we can't write our young men and boys off,” he said. “They're too important. We can't afford to let them slip through the cracks. We can't afford to let them suffer silently.”
Those interested in participating can sign up here.
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