Since 2014, Blackburn Mentoring has offered one-on-one mentoring and coaching for teens 13 and up, college students and young adults; in Louisiana it works by video, and in-person sessions are available in Los Angeles. Begin with a free 20 minute intro call, then expect a mentor match within 2 business days.

Best for these situations:

A teen whose days drift into screens, with little they are building
A college student who keeps missing deadlines despite knowing the material
A young adult working toward a first job, a move out or a return to school
Families who want a mentor who meets by video, with parent updates when needed

Families, students and young adults anywhere in Louisiana can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. All of Louisiana is on Central time, two hours ahead of our team in Los Angeles, so we schedule sessions after school, in the evening or on weekends in your local time, whether you are in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette or a small parish town.

Why online fits Louisiana

Louisiana is a state of distinct regions, connected by long stretches of highway over bayous, swamps and farmland. Driving from Shreveport to New Orleans takes most of a day. Storm season can close schools and disrupt routines for days or weeks at a time, and some families have had to relocate temporarily after a hurricane. A mentor who meets by video stays reachable wherever the family is and keeps the weekly plan going when everything else is upended.

The regions of Louisiana

Greater New Orleans

The city, Metairie and Jefferson Parish, the Northshore across Lake Pontchartrain, and the river parishes.

Baton Rouge and the capital region

State government, a large petrochemical industry along the river and growing suburbs.

Acadiana

Lafayette and the Cajun parishes, with their own culture, food, music and an economy tied to oil and gas.

Southwest, central and north Louisiana

Lake Charles in the southwest, Alexandria in the center, and Shreveport, Bossier City and Monroe in the north, which feel closer to east Texas and Arkansas than to New Orleans.

How Louisiana earns a living

Energy and petrochemicals: oil and gas, refining, chemical plants and liquefied natural gas along the coast and the Mississippi.
Ports and shipping: some of the busiest ports in the country move grain, energy and goods down the river.
Tourism, food and culture: New Orleans draws visitors from everywhere, and hospitality employs many young people.
Fishing and agriculture: seafood, sugarcane, rice and cotton.
Health care, government and military, including a major air base near Shreveport.

Schools, colleges and the move after high school

Louisiana organizes public schools by parish, and charter schools are an especially large part of public education in New Orleans. Catholic and other private schools have a long tradition, especially in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Acadiana, and a large share of families in those areas have experience with them. After high school, students can attend public universities across several state systems, a community and technical college network, or private colleges. Many students stay in Louisiana; others leave for Texas, Mississippi, Alabama or further. The state’s campuses also draw students from across the South.

What it means at each stage

For high school students, a mentor offers a steady weekly plan and someone outside the family to be accountable to, with parents involved from the first call; see mentoring for high school students. College students, whether in Louisiana or away, get help with routines, attendance and the pressures of a first year; see mentoring for college students. Young adults weighing a job in the energy industry, a move to Houston or a career that keeps them close to family can use young adult mentoring to build a plan. Professionals use the same structure for promotions, career changes and balance.

Pages for areas in Louisiana

We have two area pages for Louisiana: online mentoring in New Orleans and online mentoring in Baton Rouge. Families in southwest Louisiana may also find Houston relevant. Our online mentoring page explains sessions, and mentoring by state lists the rest of the country.

A note for parents

Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors. They are consistent, practical guides who, with permission, share progress with family and coordinate with professionals already involved. Mentoring for families explains how parents stay part of the plan.

The Louisiana calendar and what it means for young people

Louisiana runs on seasons that the rest of the country barely notices. Carnival can shape the school calendar around New Orleans, football Fridays fill small-town stadiums, and hurricane season stretches from early summer into fall, overlapping the first weeks of every school and college year. Extended family is close for many households, so young adults often feel strong pressure, and real support, to stay near home.

Work in much of the state follows unusual schedules. Offshore and plant jobs can run on rotations of weeks on and weeks off, and refinery turnarounds bring long stretches of overtime. Those jobs can pay well without a four-year degree, but they make classes and steady routines hard. On the college side, Louisiana has long offered a state merit award called TOPS, the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, which many families plan around; its rules change, so confirm the details on the official state site.

Situations Louisiana families and young adults often navigate

A freshman whose first semester is interrupted by a storm evacuation, and who loses momentum afterward.
A young adult starting an offshore rotation who needs a routine that works both on and off the job.
A high schooler trying to keep a state scholarship in view while working and playing a sport.
A graduate deciding whether a job in Houston is worth moving away from family.
A teen in a hospitality job during festival season, with late nights that crowd out schoolwork.

All of Louisiana is on Central time, and we schedule every video session in that local time, with in-person meetings offered only in Los Angeles. Two guides that fit here are keeping a routine in a long-hours job and how state merit scholarships work. See New Orleans and Baton Rouge, or education by state.

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 Louisiana?

Central time, statewide. A 5 pm session in Louisiana is 3 pm for our team in Los Angeles.

What happens to sessions during hurricane season?

Because sessions are online, they can continue from wherever the family is staying once there is power and a connection. If a session has to move, we reschedule.

Do you work with students at Catholic and private schools?

Yes. Mentoring works the same for students at public, charter, Catholic or independent schools, and we are not affiliated with any school.

Can you help someone in north Louisiana, not just New Orleans?

Yes. Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria and every parish are served the same way, by video.

Get started

Thinking about a mentor for someone in Louisiana? 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.

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Online Mentoring and Coaching in Louisiana