Leader of Newsom’s Cal Volunteers gives update on state push to empower young men | California Politics 360
Service, leadership and connection, the state initiative working to empower young men. California leaders are trying to reach and empower young men through service, leadership, and connection. In September, Governor Gavin Newsom introduced the California Men’s Service Challenge. It’s *** statewide initiative calling on 10,000 men to foster the next generation as mentors, tutors, and coaches. The governor launched the program at *** Sacramento high school. The announcement came days after the assassination of Turning Point founder and conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. He was the first guest on Governor Gavin Newsom’s podcast in March. While the two have different ideologies, they agreed on the challenges young men are facing right now. They are the most alcohol addicted. Most drug addicted, most suicidal, most depressed, most medicated generation in history. And the message that was largely being fed to *** lot of young people was lower your expectations, you’re not gonna have the same American dream that, that your parents would have. And we saw this as an opportunity, especially with young men. And again, this got ridiculed *** lot by the press that, oh, you know, they’re creating this manosphere thing. Look, they’re half of the population and necessary for any society and civilization to succeed, which is to have both strong men and strong women. The governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement is driving the initiative for the men’s Service Challenge. Earlier this week, I spoke with Josh Friday, who is California’s Chief Service Officer. Here’s our conversation. Josh, thank you so much for making time for us. Thank you, Ashley. Always fun to be here. It’s been 3 months since you and the governor announced the men’s service challenge. How many signups have you had so far? So far we’ve had almost 1000 men step up to meet the challenge that we put out, which is to call on men to serve in their community, to be mentors, to be coaches, and we set out *** goal of 10,000 men throughout the administration to help us meet this challenge that we have, this crisis that we’re facing with men in our society. We feel very good about where we are. We’ve had over 200 organizations come to us and say this is *** real need. We desperately need men to serve in their community, and so we’re also building partnerships throughout the state that we feel very good about. So we’re off to *** good start. Is 1000 within the first three months what you were expecting? Did you expect *** little bit more, *** little bit less? No, it’s exactly where we thought we would be, if not ahead. Here’s the reality, Ashley. The crisis that we’re in right now where young men are almost 4 times more likely to commit suicide, they’re less likely to be employed here in California, they’re more likely to be unemployed, they’re less likely to go to college, that reality, we didn’t get here overnight and it’s *** crisis and it’s going to take time for us to get out of this. So the men’s service challenge is *** start and we feel very good about where we are, but we have *** lot of work ahead of us. Parts of the state where you’re seeing more motivation to do this, to have these signups and to get more involved in this, it’s pretty uniform. We’ve launched this program and this challenge with partners like the, like the Boys and Girls Club, and Big Brothers Big Sisters and the San Francisco Giants Foundation. And so we’re working with our partners in all different parts of our state, but the crisis that we’re facing with young men especially. is throughout the entire state and we’re going to be working throughout the entire state. The men’s Service Challenge is one of several volunteer opportunities that you oversee as California’s Chief Service officer. I mean, you were also down in Stockton following the mass shooting there *** couple of weeks ago, and I just wonder, I mean, have you had any buy-in from that area either on this challenge or other volunteer opportunities since you’ve been down there? Yeah, I reached out to the mayor right after that tragic incident that happened in Stockton, and she asked me to come down and to really highlight the work that we’ve been doing to invest in our young people, and I think the community in Stockton and I and I think all of us are asking the question, where do we go? What do we do when we see this kind of violence? And the truth is we know that young people who are disconnected are 3 times more likely to be involved in violence. And we also know that when you have youth programs. Like the ones that we created that give young people the chance to serve in their community, be involved in their community, that violence reduces. So we’ve invested in the last 5 years over $25 million into Stockton, and we’re investing throughout the entire state. And what mayors have said to me up and down the state is that the youth programs we’ve created are some of the most important youth crime and homelessness prevention programs that they have. So we’ve seen the impact of them and we’re going to keep investing in them in *** big way and bringing it back to the men’s service challenge. Are young people already right now being connected with those who have signed up? Absolutely, yes, we’re doing. They’re signing up to be mentors, to be coaches, so they’re helping young people, and the reality is right now is organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters have huge waiting lists of boys that don’t have *** mentor because men aren’t stepping up in the way they need to. Our teaching, our teachers right now, 75% of our teachers are female, so we know that men need to step up, which is why we’ve created. This challenge, and we know the impact that it has when young boys get to have *** male role model and it may take some time for that to roll out, especially with that 10,000 sign up goal. It will take time and again we didn’t get into this crisis overnight and it’s going to take *** lot of work for us as *** society to get out of it. Governor Newsom turns out in about *** year and he did help create this arm that you oversee of Cal volunteers and you yourself, we should acknowledge you’re running for. Governor, and I just wonder how do you guarantee that this program and the others that you’re overseeing stay available in California and that these opportunities continue just with some of that uncertainty of how next year looks? Well, the California Service Corps that we created, now the largest service force in the entire country, bigger than the entire Peace Corps, has ongoing funding from the legislature. I think the legislature has seen the impact that these programs have, the impact to not only provide. Opportunity for our young people to help pay for college, job pathways, the impact that they have as tutors and mentors to help people at our food banks and to help with our parks and taking climate action, but also the social benefit where we’re actually bringing people together to solve problems in their community again. So we’ve seen the legislatures step up in *** big way to make sure these programs are funded and ongoing, and I’m very confident because of how impactful they are that they’re going to continue to have support. Director Josh Friday, we really appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you.
Leader of Newsom’s Cal Volunteers gives update on state push to empower young men | California Politics 360
Updated: 8:36 AM PST Dec 14, 2025
It’s been three months since Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an effort to reach and empower young men through mentorship. He rolled out the effort days after the assassination of Turning Point USA’s founder and conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. He was the first guest on Newsom’s podcast this spring, and the two connected on the crisis of young men and boys feeling neglected and without purpose. California’s Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday has been overseeing the Men’s Service Challenge, which was a call from state leaders to try to get 10,000 men to sign up to be mentors, coaches and tutors. In an interview on California Politics 360, Fryday said nearly 1,000 men have stepped up so far. He said 200 organizations have approached the administration to say that this is something that is desperately needed in their communities. “We feel very good about where we are,” Fryday said. “We’re off to a good start.” “The crisis that we’re in right now, where young men are four times more likely to commit suicide; they’re less likely to be employed here in California; they’re less likely to go to college — that reality — we didn’t get here overnight,” Fryday said. “It’s going to take time for us to get out of this.” Fryday leads Cal Volunteers, which is the state’s version of the Peace Corps. It’s the largest service corps in the country. Newsom established this branch of government with Fryday’s help when he took office. With the governor terming out next year and California facing significant financial headwinds, there are questions about the future of Cal Volunteers. Fryday is running for lieutenant governor, a position current officeholder Eleni Kounalakis is also terming out of.When asked about the uncertainty and the future of the state’s volunteer and mentorship programs, Fryday noted state lawmakers have provided the programs with ongoing funding. “I think the Legislature has seen the impact that these programs have,”Fryday said. “I’m very confident that because of how impactful they are that they’re going to continue to have support.” Watch the full interview with California’s Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday in the video player above. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
It’s been three months since Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an effort to reach and empower young men through mentorship.
He rolled out the effort days after the assassination of Turning Point USA’s founder and conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. He was the first guest on Newsom’s podcast this spring, and the two connected on the crisis of young men and boys feeling neglected and without purpose.
California’s Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday has been overseeing the Men’s Service Challenge, which was a call from state leaders to try to get 10,000 men to sign up to be mentors, coaches and tutors.
In an interview on California Politics 360, Fryday said nearly 1,000 men have stepped up so far. He said 200 organizations have approached the administration to say that this is something that is desperately needed in their communities.
“We feel very good about where we are,” Fryday said. “We’re off to a good start.”
“The crisis that we’re in right now, where young men are four times more likely to commit suicide; they’re less likely to be employed here in California; they’re less likely to go to college — that reality — we didn’t get here overnight,” Fryday said. “It’s going to take time for us to get out of this.”
Fryday leads Cal Volunteers, which is the state’s version of the Peace Corps. It’s the largest service corps in the country. Newsom established this branch of government with Fryday’s help when he took office.
With the governor terming out next year and California facing significant financial headwinds, there are questions about the future of Cal Volunteers. Fryday is running for lieutenant governor, a position current officeholder Eleni Kounalakis is also terming out of.
When asked about the uncertainty and the future of the state’s volunteer and mentorship programs, Fryday noted state lawmakers have provided the programs with ongoing funding.
“I think the Legislature has seen the impact that these programs have,”Fryday said. “I’m very confident that because of how impactful they are that they’re going to continue to have support.”
Watch the full interview with California’s Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday in the video player above.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel