By Erica Vogel, CEO, Community Matters
Published August 13, 2025
On July 30, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to confront rising suicide rates and growing disconnection among California’s boys and young men, calling for coordinated mental health, education, and workforce support across the state. This action shines a spotlight on a crisis that extends far beyond California. Research shows young men report shrinking social circles and fewer close friendships: risk factors for loneliness and mental health struggles that school communities feel every day.
At Community Matters, we see what’s possible when students are equipped to look out for one another. Our Safe School Ambassadors® (SSA) Program is a proven, peer-led model that helps prevent bullying, reduce isolation, build connections, and create healthier school climates. This work directly advances the intent of the Governor’s order and is urgently needed nationwide.
How the SSA Program Aligns with the Executive Order
The SSA Program is a proven, peer-led model that uniquely addresses many of the challenges outlined in the Governor’s directive. It transforms students into “Upstanders” who use their influence among peers to prevent and intervene in incidents of bullying, mistreatment, and social isolation. This work directly advances several components of the executive order:
Reversing the Crisis of Loneliness and Disconnection
Governor Newsom highlights the alarming number of boys and young men who report having no close friends, with nearly 1 in 4 men under 30 expressing deep social disconnection. SSA builds authentic connection among youth by training and supporting them to recognize and respond compassionately to emotional distress in their peers.
By leveraging students’ natural social networks, the program ensures that no student, including boys who often mask their hurt as anger or defiance, feels invisible. SSA helps people connect, belong, and support one another in a safe, school-based environment.
Promoting Healthy Masculinity and Peer Support
As the executive order emphasizes, many young men suffer in silence due to outdated gender norms and a lack of emotionally attuned male role models. SSA empowers male students to lead with empathy, courage, and emotional literacy modeling healthy masculinity for their peers.
Through facilitated dialogues and ongoing adult and peer mentorship, SSA normalizes asking for help and talking about feelings, equipping students with the tools to take positive action rather than act out. In schools across the United States and beyond our borders, we have seen this approach reduce incidents of aggression, isolation, and self-harm among young people.
Supporting Early Intervention and Preventing Punitive Discipline
The data is clear: boys, especially boys of color, are suspended, expelled, or referred to law enforcement at far higher rates than their peers, often for behaviors that may be expressions of trauma. The SSA Program creates a culture of peer accountability and positive behavior reinforcement that prevents issues from escalating into punishable infractions.
Instead of defaulting to disciplinary exclusion, the program fosters a restorative school culture where peer relationships can address root causes and build resilience, helping young people stay connected to their school communities and invested in their futures.
Elevating Youth Leadership and Career Pathways
The SSA program instills leadership, communication, and conflict resolution skills that are essential for success in school, work, and life. By identifying and nurturing diverse male students as Upstanders and leaders, SSA opens doors to broader educational and career opportunities, particularly for those who might not see themselves as “traditional leaders.”
Our alumni have gone on to become social workers, educators, youth advocates, and civic leaders, often citing SSA as a pivotal turning point in discovering their sense of purpose and self-worth.
Addressing Equity and Access Barriers
Governor Newsom rightly underscores that boys and young men of color, particularly Black, Latino, and Indigenous youth, are among the most underserved by current mental health systems. SSA prioritizes culturally responsive engagement and is adaptable to the needs of diverse school communities.
Because the program is embedded in schools and led by peers, it removes many of the access barriers (like stigma, cost, and transportation) that prevent boys from receiving timely support.
A Sustainable, Scalable, and Proven Solution
While much of the state’s recent funding is short-term, SSA offers a sustainable model that schools can continue through trained site facilitators and community partnerships. Community Matters has already impacted over 170,000 students in more than 2,100 schools across 42 US states, 2 US Territories, Washington DC, Paraguay, Japan, and Canada, with data showing decreased bullying, improved school climate, and strengthened student mental health.
A Community-Based Answer to a Statewide and National Crisis
Governor Newsom’s courageous, timely call to address the mental health and social challenges facing young men demands proven solutions. Community Matters and the SSA Program specifically stand ready to partner with districts, counties, and community organizations to scale what has worked for 25+ years. Rather than creating something new, we will expand and deepen a model already delivering results: equipping students with the tools to lead, connect, and care for themselves and others. In doing so, we can transform schools into powerful incubators of healing, belonging, and hope. When we invest in peer leadership, we don’t just reduce harm; we grow hope.
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Erica Vogel is a proud mom of 2 boys, now young men!
Both boys were Safe School Ambassadors in their high school years.
Erica has extensive experience in youth development and programming with a specialization in developing and implementing youth empowerment programs for disadvantaged and culturally diverse young people. Prior to joining Community Matters, she worked in high level leadership positions with the YMCA, the American Heart Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Erica has worked for Community Matters since 2010 and in 2020 took the reigns as the CEO. Erica holds a B.A. in Management and Organizational Development from Spring Arbor University.