Yes. Families and young adults anywhere in Iowa can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video, whether you live in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids or a small town in the northwest. All of Iowa is on Central time, two hours ahead of our Los Angeles team, and every session is booked in your local time.
Small towns, long drives, steady routines
Iowa is a state of small and mid-sized communities spread evenly across rolling farmland. Its largest metro is modest by national standards, and many families live a long way from the nearest city of any size. Weather matters too: winter roads can make a weekly drive to an appointment unreliable. A mentor who meets by video keeps the routine going in January as well as June.
Where Iowans live
Central Iowa revolves around Des Moines and suburbs like West Des Moines, Ankeny and Waukee, with Ames to the north. Eastern Iowa has the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City corridor, Dubuque on the Mississippi and the Quad Cities around Davenport. Waterloo and Cedar Falls sit in the northeast. In the west, Council Bluffs is part of the Omaha metro and Sioux City anchors the northwest corner. Between them are hundreds of small towns, many organized around agriculture.
The Iowa economy
- Agriculture: Iowa is a national leader in corn, soybeans, hogs and eggs, and farming supports equipment makers, seed companies and food processors.
- Insurance and financial services: Des Moines is one of the country’s significant insurance centers.
- Manufacturing: machinery, appliances and food products across many mid-sized cities.
- Renewable energy: wind power is a major part of the state’s electricity and a growing source of jobs.
- Health care and education: large employers in every region.
Schools, colleges and choices after graduation
Most Iowa students attend local public school districts, many of them small and rural, and some districts share programs or have consolidated over the years. Catholic and other private schools are present in many cities. The state has a small group of public universities, a broad community college system that reaches every region, and a number of private colleges. Many Iowa students stay in state, while others head to Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska or further. The universities also bring in students from Chicago and across the Midwest.
How mentoring fits each stage
Teenagers
A weekly mentor helps a high school student plan homework, practices and a part-time job, and think beyond graduation. Parents join the intro call and receive progress updates. See mentoring for high school students.
College students
Whether a student is at a big campus, a community college or a small private college, the first year tests independence. A mentor works with them online wherever they are. See mentoring for college students and college transition mentoring.
Young adults
For someone deciding whether to stay in a hometown, move to Des Moines or leave the state, a mentor helps compare real options and build a timeline. Young adult mentoring covers jobs, money and moving out.
Parents
With the client’s permission, mentors keep families informed and coordinate with professionals already involved. Mentoring for families explains how.
Pages for areas in Iowa
Read our page on online mentoring in Des Moines. Families in western Iowa can also see Omaha, and those near the Minnesota line or the Mississippi may find Minneapolis or Chicago relevant. Our online mentoring page explains sessions in detail, and mentoring by state lists every state.
Related
- Online mentoring in Des Moines
- Life after high school
- Mentoring for community college students
- How mentoring works
Common questions
What time zone are sessions in for Iowa?
Central time across the whole state. A 7 pm session in Iowa is 5 pm for a mentor in Los Angeles.
Is a rural internet connection good enough?
Usually. A stable connection for a video call is all that is needed, and phone and text check-ins between sessions do not depend on it.
Can mentoring help a young adult decide whether to stay in Iowa or move?
Yes. A mentor helps lay out jobs, costs and timelines for each option, then breaks the chosen plan into weekly steps.
Get started
Thinking about a mentor for someone in Iowa? 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.