Unemployed and not in school: The plight of young men

If you ask Jodeah Wilson how his life got off track, he'll say it’s all about money.

- ADAM ECHELMAN

FELIX URIBE CalMatters / Catchlight JODEAH WILSON, a former Sacramento State student, left school after being unable to pay tuition.

He needs money for rent. He also needs money to pay back the tuition he owes for the spring semester at Sacramento State University, which would allow him to re-enroll. Until then, he’s stuck in limbo.

"All I need is a goddamn job so I can pay this off myself," he said. But it’s been months and so far, he’s still unemployed.

To state leaders and researchers, though, it's more than just money. California has nearly 500,000 young people ages 16 to 24 who are in the same predicament, neither working nor in school. Finding them a job is part of the solution, but it goes much deeper than that. Many are struggling socially and emotionally, too, making it even harder to move forward.

Men are particularly at risk. In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to address “the alarming rise in suicides and disconnection among California’s young men and boys.”

It’s a “crisis,” Newsom told former President Clinton in an interview at the Clinton Global Initiative in September. “Look at the dropout rates. Look at the depths of despair. Look at the issues around loneliness. Look at every critical category. It’s just blinking red lights for young men.”

Newsom pointed to Charlie Kirk as a model for how to make young men feel heard and get them reengaged politically, albeit for Trump. Then he slammed Democrats for ignoring these young men and their needs.

Wilson is convinced he’s an exception to these trends and that his unemployment is temporary. He talks fast, speaking in short sentences, repeating himself when needed, like a coach hyping up a team. When he gets excited or gestures for emphasis, a dreadlock falls from his bun and shakes with his words.