Teens, college students and young adults in Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Hudson, Fairlawn, Green, Barberton and the rest of Summit and Portage counties can work with a Blackburn mentor by video. Every client has one dedicated mentor who meets with them on Eastern time, weekly or more often, and answers texts and calls between sessions. Our team is in Los Angeles, so Akron-area mentoring happens online.
From the Rubber City to polymers and health care
Akron built its name on tires and rubber, and that history still runs through the region, now in the form of polymer science, advanced materials and specialty manufacturing. Large health care systems are among the biggest sources of jobs, and higher education adds students and research. Many residents also commute north toward Cleveland or south toward Canton, which is why a lot of Akron households feel like they are part of two or three metros at once.
Those overlapping pulls show up in mentoring. A recent graduate has to decide whether to stay in Summit County, where rent and housing are manageable, or chase a job in a bigger city. A high school student is weighing a four-year degree against a technical program that leads straight into a materials or manufacturing job. A young adult who moved home after college is trying to restart a job search from a childhood bedroom. A mentor helps each of them sort the options and take the next concrete step.
Akron by the numbers
Four facts about the Akron metro (Summit and Portage counties), from Census Reporter (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, via Census Reporter), plus one statewide figure:
- Median age: 41.2 (metro level, ACS 2024 1-year via Census Reporter). Akron skews older than most metros, so young adults here can find that most of their coworkers and neighbors are a generation ahead of them. A mentor gives a twenty-something someone to think out loud with about their own stage of life.
- 36 percent of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (metro level, ACS 2024 1-year via Census Reporter). That means about two in three adults built their careers another way, and a teen considering trades, a certificate or the military has plenty of local examples to learn from.
- Mean travel time to work: 23.5 minutes (metro level, ACS 2024 1-year via Census Reporter). Add winter driving and a commute toward Cleveland, and evenings get short. Video sessions start the moment someone sits down at home.
- Poverty rate: 13 percent (metro level, ACS 2024 1-year via Census Reporter). Many young adults here are working while in school or supporting family, so mentors build plans around real work hours rather than ideal ones.
- 28.5 percent of Ohio adults ages 18 to 34 live with their parents (state level, 2024 ACS data compiled by FinanceBuzz; the national figure is 32.9 percent). Living at home is common and often sensible. The goal is to make it a plan with a timeline rather than a stall.
Session times from Akron
Akron is on Eastern time, three hours ahead of Pacific, so East Coast afternoons line up with California lunchtime. Typical slots:
| Slot | Akron (Eastern) | Mentor (Pacific) |
|---|---|---|
| After school | 4:00 pm | 1:00 pm |
| After practice | 5:30 pm | 2:30 pm |
| After work | 7:00 pm | 4:00 pm |
| Later evening | 8:30 pm | 5:30 pm |
Early-morning Eastern sessions, around 7:00 to 8:00 am before school or work, can be arranged with mentors who start early, and weekend sessions are available too. Ohio and California both observe daylight saving time, so the three-hour difference holds all year.
Lake-effect winters and the Ohio school year
Northeast Ohio districts typically start school in mid to late August. Fall moves quickly, and then the gray sets in: lake-effect snow, short days and long stretches indoors from December through March. Winter break runs from late December into early January, and the weeks after it are when many students lose momentum. A standing video session is useful in exactly those months, because it does not get canceled for snow and it gives the week a fixed point.
When the weather breaks, the region opens up. The national park along the Cuyahoga River, its towpath trail and the area’s lakes give students and young adults easy ways to build exercise and time outdoors into a routine, and mentors often use that season to set new habits.
Questions we hear from Akron families include: can a mentor help a teen stay on track through a snowy winter, how do we support a young adult who moved home and is job hunting, and can a mentor work with a college student who is living on campus or commuting? Yes to all three.
Who mentors work with
- High school students ages 13 and up, with a parent involved from the intro call on. See mentoring for high school students.
- Young adults back home after college and looking for work. See job search coaching for young adults.
- College students who want structure and accountability. See mentoring for college students.
Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors. To see how sessions work, visit the online mentoring page, and for other Ohio cities, see mentoring in Ohio.
Related
- Online mentoring and coaching in Ohio
- Online mentoring in Cleveland
- Online mentoring in Columbus
- Online mentoring in Pittsburgh
- Online mentoring and Coaching in Toledo
- Moving back home after college
Common questions
Do Akron families use video mentoring?
Yes. Every Blackburn client in the Akron area works with their mentor by video, because in-person sessions are offered only in Los Angeles. Families tell us the format is easy to keep up through winter weather and busy weeks.
What times work for Akron clients in Eastern time?
A 4:00 pm after-school session in Akron is 1:00 pm for your mentor in California, and a 7:00 pm session after work is 4:00 pm Pacific. Early-morning sessions around 7:00 to 8:00 am Eastern and weekend sessions can also be arranged.
Can a mentor help a young adult find direction after college?
Yes. Many young adults in Summit County move home after graduating and are not sure what comes next. A mentor helps them narrow the options, set a weekly job search plan and build routines while they live at home.
Is Akron mentoring different from Cleveland mentoring?
The service is the same, but the conversations differ. Akron clients often weigh staying in Summit County against a commute or move toward Cleveland or Columbus, and many are looking at materials, manufacturing and health care careers close to home.
Get started
Thinking about a mentor for someone in the Akron area? Call (888) 305-5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.
Last updated .
Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.