As part of a 4-year research initiative on adult/youth relationships programs, this study assessed relationships between elders and at-risk youth at the following four Linking Lifetimes intergenerational mentoring demonstration sites developed by Temple University's Center for Intergenerational Learning in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania): (1) Neighborhood Youth Association in Los Angeles (California); (2) Metro Dade Department of Youth and Family Development in Miami (Florida); (3) Porter Leath Children's Center in Memphis (Tennessee); and (4) Corporation for Public Management in Springfield (Massachusetts). Elders were 55 years old and older, and youth were 12 to 17 years old. Using 26 pairs of 1 youth and 1 elder, the study examined pair activities, the relationship formation process, and effective and ineffective practices in the relationships. Elders met between 4 and 10 hours a week with youth and received stipends and reimbursements for expenses. Separate face-to-face semistructured interviews with all subjects were conducted at two times. Seventeen pairs were satisfying and 9 pairs were dissatisfying to the participants. The pairs' particular activities did not determine satisfaction. Differences existed in participants' interaction styles. Elders in satisfying relationships allowed the content and timing of the relationships to be youth-driven. Included are 5 tables, 33 references, and 2 appendixes describing the Linking Lifetimes initiative and study methodology in 2 tables. (JB)