Everybody needs someone to look up to.

With that in mind, city, county and Pittsburgh school officials, with help from the United Way and others, have launched an ambitious program to find a volunteer mentor for sixth-graders in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. This marks another step in the city's effort to improve the education and career prospects of its students.

The program, modeled loosely after Big Brothers Big Sisters, would match mentors with as many of the 1,823 sixth graders as possible in the Pittsburgh school district. The volunteers, who would be screened, trained and monitored, would meet with their student for at least 45 minutes a week during the school year. The idea is to provide young teen-agers with guidance at a time when negative influences can hinder their school performance, general behavior and adult aspirations. Successful development can be reached only after consistent effort, and the mentors would be instrumental in setting incremental goals for the students to reach.

Few doubt the potential of most students, but all young people need direction, and this program aims to give them just that. Together with the Pittsburgh Promise, which provides qualified students with tuition grants, the new mentoring initiative shows the city's commitment to providing youths with the resources they need to achieve.

For the initiative to begin having an impact this fall, mentors will be needed in abundance. Applications for prospective volunteers can be found at www.bea6thgradementor.org.