I want to share a longer message about what I’m thinking about as I become chair of the National Governors Association, but if you don’t have time to read it all, I would deeply appreciate a contribution to power our campaign.
When I was young, the world saw me for the little boy I was. But as each year passed, the world stopped seeing me as a harmless kid and started seeing me as something entirely different. Intimidating. Threatening.
That shift had a profound effect on me. I thought that, maybe, I was destined to become what society expected me to be.
For a while, I seemed to give in to those expectations. Didn’t pay attention in school. Got into trouble.
I ended up finding my own path, but only because I had the right support system — one that lifted me up on its shoulders. I had mentors and ministers who ushered me into manhood. Today, too many young men and boys lack that kind of support. And because of it, we’re watching an entire generation lose its way.
The data says this too. We’re seeing a warning sign too big to ignore, with declines in everything from educational attainment and employment to mental health for our young men and boys.
That’s why my administration has taken steps to chart a better way forward. In 2023, we created the Thrive Academy to identify youth at highest risk of perpetrating or being a victim of gun violence. We have equipped them with the support to gain access to housing, jobs, and food, as well as physical and mental health plans.
One year after launching Thrive, we saw a massive movement in the right direction. The program succeeded by redirecting those youth to a path beyond the justice system, with 80% avoiding rearrest.
It has been a mission of my life — in my work before politics and now leading Maryland — to intervene before that faux first chance is used, and lost.
That is why we’ve made record investments across the state to make sure our communities are stronger than ever. We’ve empowered families by making life more affordable, bringing new businesses to Maryland, and strengthening our public schools.
We’ve worked to get more men in the classroom as educators and in hospitals as nurses and doctors, invested in apprenticeship programs, and provided new opportunities for people who have mistakes in their past and deserve a real second chance.
And we’re continuing to support our graduating seniors beyond the classroom with our service-year option for every high school graduate — the first of its kind in this country.
Our recent graduates can choose to work in any field that may interest them, from education to healthcare, and environmental protection. This program gives our students the opportunity to find their passion, as they give back to their communities.
We’ve seen the massive success of this program since its launch, and now we’re taking it to the next level. As the new chair of the National Governors Association, I will be launching “Service United,” a national program to expand paid service opportunities for young people.
Because I know that service will save us.
My commitment to our young people across our state remains consistent: I will always invest in them, because they are our future.
And if there’s one message to take away, it’s this: Our young men and boys are not problems to be fixed, but people to be uplifted.
Onward,
Wes
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