Summer Mentoring for Teens

Summer mentoring gives a high schooler one dedicated mentor who helps them plan the break, set a few real goals and follow through week by week. Instead of drifting from June to August, your teen leaves summer with something to show for it: a job, a finished project, new skills and a calmer start to the next school year.

Why summer is harder than it looks

School supplies structure for free. There is a bell, a schedule, deadlines and teachers who notice when work is missing. In summer most of that disappears at once. Many teens sleep late, spend long stretches on screens and mean to start the job search or the project “next week” until the break is nearly over.

Parents usually see it happening and try to help, but daily reminders from a parent tend to turn into arguments. A mentor is a different voice. Your teen meets with someone outside the family who treats their plans seriously and asks, every week, what actually got done.

What a mentored summer can include

Every plan is built around the student, but most summers combine a few of these:

A first job or volunteer role. Finding openings, filling out applications, practicing for a short interview and learning how to show up on time. Our guide to a teen’s first job covers the basics.
A real project. Building something, writing something, starting a small business, learning an instrument or a coding skill, with weekly milestones instead of a vague intention.
Life skills. Cooking a few meals, managing a small budget, doing laundry, making phone calls and appointments. See money management for teens.
Health and routine. A steadier sleep schedule, exercise and less time lost to the phone. Our guide on screen time has practical ideas.
Getting ready for the next year. A simple system for planners and deadlines, a look at the coming course load and, for older students, early thinking about life after high school.

How the summer works, step by step

Assessment and intro call. You and your teen complete a short assessment, and a parent or guardian joins the free intro call so everyone hears the same plan.
Match with one mentor. We pair your teen with a mentor whose style suits them. The same mentor stays with them all summer.
Set three to five goals. Together they choose goals that matter to your teen, not a list imposed on them. Parents agree the goals too.
Break goals into weekly steps. “Get a job” becomes “apply to four places by Friday.” Small, specific steps are what make summer goals real.
Meet weekly or more. Sessions are 30 or 60 minutes by video or, in Los Angeles, in person. Your teen can text or call the mentor between sessions.
Progress updates for parents. You get regular updates, so you know what is happening without having to be the one asking.

If your family travels, video sessions travel with you. We schedule in your local time zone, and a session from a vacation rental works as well as one from home.

Who summer mentoring is for

A teen who drifts without structure and loses the break to sleep and screens.
A student who wants a job or a project but does not know how to start.
A rising senior getting ready for a heavy fall. Our page on the summer before senior year goes deeper.
A student coming off a hard year who needs a reset before the next one. See when a teenager is failing classes.
A teen who is fine but would benefit from a steady adult outside the family.

What a mentor is and is not

Mentors are not tutors and do not teach subjects. They are not therapists or admissions counselors either. They help with the parts that sit around schoolwork: planning, follow-through, habits, confidence and independence. If your teen needs subject tutoring, a mentor can help them schedule and stick to it. If you are weighing the two, read mentor vs. tutor.

If your teen is dealing with something heavier, such as persistent low mood, anxiety or substance use, a licensed professional is the right first step, and a mentor can work alongside that care with your permission. In a crisis, call or text 988.

Where a mentor helps most

The plan itself is rarely the hard part. Most families can write a decent summer plan in an evening. What breaks down is week three, when the novelty wears off. A mentor holds the plan steady, adjusts it when something is not working and gives your teen credit for what they did. Summer mentoring often continues into the fall, and you can learn more on our mentoring for high school students page or start with our teen summer plan guide.

Common questions

When should we start summer mentoring?

Ideally a few weeks before school lets out, so the plan and the first job applications are ready on day one. Starting mid-summer still works; the first session focuses on what is left of the break.

Does it have to stop when school starts?

No. Plans are weekly or monthly, so you can stop at the end of summer or continue into the school year with the same mentor.

How involved are parents?

A parent or guardian joins the intro call, agrees the goals and receives regular progress updates. Your teen still has their own relationship with the mentor.

Can my teen do this while we travel?

Yes. Sessions are by video and scheduled in your local time zone, so travel does not have to break the routine.

Get started

Want a summer that ends with something to show for it? 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.

Summer Mentoring for Teens: A Summer With Structure