A noticeable change has occurred in the mentorship movement. It has become standard practice to lend guidance to troubled youth but never before has mentoring been labeled an art. Mentoring, in its most basic form can be described as "the art of understanding." It starts when a more experienced adult reaches out to lesser experienced youth with the purpose of supporting, approving, and guiding that youth to a fuller understanding of him or her self. It is our society's least appreciated form of multi-dimensional art because mentoring does not lead to wealth or power only inner satisfaction.

We are taught in our culture to pursue money, power, and status instead of the prosperity of the mind. Our schools are run with that philosophy in mind and worst yet our homes are being overrun with the pressure that philosophy creates including the need to work long hours and neglect family all in an effort to achieve financial security. It seems impossible in this current age to reconcile our dreams of security with our need to love another, perhaps even a stranger. Our minds curl up at thought of sharing ourselves with someone new, a foreigner to our world who is nevertheless depending on us. This why mentoring organizations find it difficult to recruit new mentors especially men despite the events of the past year.

Since 9/11 our need for each other has been exposed to the world. Yet we have forgotten our youth. These fragile young people who live in our cities, our communities, and indeed our homes are longing for someone to reach out to them. Our young people need volunteers willing to study "the art of understanding" called mentoring. Mentoring begins with a flexible attitude and an open heart. It just takes one person who cares enough to spend a little time with someone they have yet to meet but will one day come to know and love. Anyone who shares in the need to love qualifies but it takes someone willing to be trained in the art of mentoring to succeed. Maybe that someone is you.

We at Mentors, Inc. are providing people like you everyday with the opportunity to practice "the art of understanding." Mentors, Inc. is a non-profit organization in the business of matching potential mentors (like you) and protégé's (who come from various Washington, D.C. public high schools) through training, group sessions, and individualized communications. Our mission is to ensure that students graduate from high school with a concrete plan for life after high school-such as for college, vocational training, work, or military service-that will result in personal growth and a fulfilling career. But our mission goes further than that; we are teachers of a little known art, mentoring, and "the art of understanding." If would like more information about mentoring please visit us at www.mentorsinc.org or the National Mentoring Partnership at www.mentoring.org.