Teens 13 and up, college students and young adults in Hawaii can get one-on-one mentoring and coaching from Blackburn Mentoring by video, with in-person sessions in Los Angeles, where the work began in 2014. Begin with a free 20 minute intro call, then expect a mentor match within 2 business days.

Best for:

Capable teens 13 and up whose grades or motivation have slipped
College students on a hard semester, a leave or a return to school
Young adults living at home who are ready to build a routine and move forward
Families in any time zone who want sessions scheduled around their week

Families, students and young adults on any Hawaiian island can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. Sessions are scheduled in Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, which does not change for daylight saving, so your session time stays put all year. Our team is in Los Angeles, two or three hours ahead depending on the season, which leaves plenty of room for after-school and evening sessions.

An island state, where distance is part of daily life

Hawaii is a chain of islands in the middle of the Pacific, roughly 2,500 miles from the West Coast. Most residents live on Oahu, in and around Honolulu, but families on Maui, Kauai, Hawaii Island, Molokai and Lanai often find that the help they want is on another island or on the mainland. A flight between islands is short but not something anyone does weekly.

That is where video makes sense. A mentor who meets online is equally close to a family in Hilo, a student in Kailua and a young adult in Kihei. Sessions also travel with the person, so they continue when a student leaves for school on the mainland or a family spends the summer with relatives.

How Hawaii makes a living

The state economy rests on a few large pillars, and they shape the options young people see:

Tourism and hospitality, the largest private sector, with hotel, restaurant and tour jobs on every island.
The military and federal government, with a major presence on Oahu and many military families who move in and out.
Health care, education and state government, which employ a large share of professionals.
Construction, agriculture and small business, including diversified farming that replaced much of the old sugar and pineapple land.

With a high cost of living and a short list of familiar paths, many young adults weigh building a career at home against leaving for the mainland. A mentor helps turn that into a real plan.

School and college in Hawaii, in general terms

Hawaii is unusual in running a single statewide public school system rather than many local districts. Independent and faith-based schools also have a strong presence, especially on Oahu, and plenty of families have experience with both.

After high school, students can stay in the state public university system, with campuses on several islands, or start at one of the community colleges spread across the islands. A large number of graduates head to the mainland for college, which is a bigger move than crossing a state line: new climate, new time zone, no quick weekend trip home. Students also come to Hawaii from the mainland and abroad, and they face the same adjustment in reverse.

What that means at each stage

High school students

Mentors help with weekly planning, homework routines, motivation and the steps toward whatever comes after graduation. A parent or guardian can join the intro call, agree the goals and get regular progress updates. See mentoring for high school students.

College students, especially those far from home

A student five time zones from family can struggle quietly for weeks before anyone knows. A mentor meets them by video wherever they study and helps with routines, classes and homesickness. Read homesick in the first year of college and mentoring for college students.

Young adults and professionals

Whether the question is a first job, a move off island, saving toward a place of your own or a career change, young adult mentoring turns it into weekly steps you can actually take.

Pages for areas in Hawaii

Our area page for the state is online mentoring in Honolulu. For anywhere else in Hawaii, start with how online mentoring works, or browse all states on mentoring by state. Families with relatives on the West Coast may also find San Diego or Seattle useful.

How a mentor fits for Hawaii families

Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors. They are one steady adult who meets weekly, keeps goals concrete and checks in by text or phone between sessions. With permission, they share progress with family and coordinate with professionals already involved. For a household view, see mentoring for families.

Growing up and getting started in the islands

Hawaii has no real winter, and its rhythm comes from the ocean, the trade winds and the visitor seasons rather than snow days. The public school year typically starts in early August, and many teens spend afternoons paddling, surfing or playing team sports that run most of the year. Multigenerational households are common, and young people often carry real responsibilities at home, from watching younger siblings to contributing to the family budget.

On Oahu, families in Kapolei, Ewa Beach, Mililani and Waianae often face long drives into town on the H-1, and traffic shapes when a teen can get to a job or practice. On the neighbor islands, the choice of jobs, training programs and campuses is narrower, so many young adults move to Oahu or the mainland to start out. Early careers commonly begin in hotels and tourism, health care, the military and federal agencies, construction and the trades, and education, and the price of housing means many young adults stay home well into their twenties.

Situations island families and young adults often navigate

A neighbor island senior deciding whether to start college on Oahu, at home or on the mainland.
A teen working evening shifts at a resort or restaurant while keeping grades steady.
A young adult in a multigenerational home who wants to save toward independence without stepping away from family obligations.
A military family on Oahu helping a student settle into a new school partway through the year.
A college freshman on the mainland who flies home only at winter break and is adjusting to the distance.

Hawaii keeps Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time year-round, and sessions take place by video at the hour you choose on island time; the only in-person option is in Los Angeles. Hawaii residents may be eligible for regional tuition exchange discounts at public colleges in other western states, and the state also offers aid aimed at community college students, but rules change, so check the official state and program sites and our guide to regional tuition discounts. Also see mentoring for military families and moving out of your parents’ house. Our area page is Honolulu.

Mentoring is not therapy or clinical care. If someone needs mental health treatment, a licensed clinician is the right place to start, and a mentor can work alongside them.

Common questions

What time zone are sessions in for Hawaii?

Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time. Hawaii does not observe daylight saving, so Los Angeles is two hours ahead in winter and three hours ahead in summer, and we handle the conversion for you.

Can you work with families on Maui, Kauai or Hawaii Island, not just Oahu?

Yes. Everything is by video, so any island with a reliable connection works the same way.

My child is leaving Hawaii for college on the mainland. Can the mentor keep working with them?

Yes. The mentor can start before the move and keep meeting by video after, scheduled in the student’s new local time, with progress updates to you if the student agrees.

Get started

Want to talk about a student or young adult in Hawaii? 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 November 2, 2026.

Book a free intro call Text us

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Online Mentoring and Coaching in Hawaii