WASHINGTON (AP) — Now it's the boys' turn.

First lady Michelle Obama started a year-long White House mentoring programme last fall for young women, pairing about 16 girls from the Washington area with women at top levels in the Obama administration.

Now President Barack Obama is following her lead, pairing 20 high school-age boys with White House officials who will serve as mentors. Obama planned to announce the boys' mentoring programme yesterday as part of an event marking National Mentoring Month, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity before the president's announcement.

Like the girls, the boys will attend monthly workshops to encourage them in education, career planning and community service.

Mrs. Obama started the girls' mentoring programme in November. Just last week, the girls and their mentors packed bags of food for children who don't get enough to eat on the weekends. The girls also attended a career skills workshop where they learned about personal development, networking, etiquette and other topics.

Many of the girls also have spent one-on-one time with the first lady and attended local events with her.

The first lady said last week that the mentoring programme is designed to help young people develop the "intangible confidence that really can push kids from mediocrity to fabulousness."

"We're excited to see how these kids respond, and what it does for their futures, if anything, and how these relationships grow over time," she said, adding that she plans more travel this year to encourage the development of mentoring programmes around the country.

In his remarks yesterday, the president planned to emphasise the need for mentors around the country and to highlight mentoring efforts by companies, non-profit groups and governments.

Among the White House officials who will mentor boys: Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs; Bill Burton, deputy press secretary; Emmett Beliveau, director of advance; and speechwriter Adam Frankel. Among those mentoring girls: Domestic Policy Director Melody Barnes; Tina Tchen, director of the Office of Public Engagement; Cecilia Munoz, director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; and Susan Sher, chief of staff for Mrs. Obama.