This newsletter, created for teachers, parents, and others interested in current educational themes, addresses the issue of mentoring, what it is, how it works, and why it is needed; and provides some examples of current mentoring programs. It explains that there are two types of mentoring: natural, such as through friends, relatives, and colleagues; and planned, the result of programs and other formal processes. Mentoring programs recruit suitable mentors, formally and informally, through flyers, posters, mailings, and word-of-mouth; these programs then match the mentor with the youth, via interviews, personal profiles, comparative interest inventories, and get-acquainted sessions. Because of data showing greater numbers of single-family homes, increasing school truancy and dropout rates, and greater numbers of teenage pregnancies, mentoring programs are increasing in importance. These programs generally serve in three broad areas: education, career, and personal development. Examples of these types of programs include Big Brothers/Sisters of America; Help One Student To Succeed; One Hundred Black Men, Inc.; and The National One-to-One Mentoring Partnership. Five resources for more information on mentoring are listed. (Contains 7 references.) (GLR)