A state mentorship initiative led by California Volunteers and promoted in a recorded announcement by Lupita Baltazar seeks to recruit 1,000 young people in the coming months and asks men to serve as mentors, tutors or coaches.

The initiative, described by Baltazar as a collaboration with state offices and community organizations including Improve Your Tomorrow, aims to connect participating youth with education, job opportunities and community supports. “El gobernador dijo, tenemos una epidemia de soledad y gran parte de eso se refleja en Internet de una manera muy seria,” the presenter reported, quoting the governor’s framing of the problem. The recording also repeated the governor’s emphasis that “Los muchachos que necesitan un mentor, que necesitan muy seria,” noting the need for role models.

Officials identified the statewide implementing office as California Volunteers, the state’s service and volunteer agency. According to the announcement, the program will enlist men to mentor young people and said mentors also derive benefits from participation. The presenter said the campaign’s near-term recruitment goal is 1,000 young people.

For more information or to register a young person or learn how to participate, the announcement directed listeners to the state website (ca.gov) under California Volunteers’ pages for the initiative. The recording did not specify program funding sources, eligibility criteria for mentees or a timeline for mentor training.

The announcement was a public outreach message; no formal vote or regulatory action was recorded in the transcript. Next steps indicated were outreach and recruitment activity by California Volunteers and partners.