Yes. Families, students and young adults anywhere in Maine can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. Maine is on Eastern time, three hours ahead of our Los Angeles team, so an after-school session at 3:30 in Bangor is early afternoon for the mentor. Every session is scheduled in your local time.
The most rural state in New England
Maine is almost as large as the rest of New England combined, mostly forest, with a long, jagged coast and a population concentrated in the south. Outside Greater Portland, towns are small and spread out, and the drive from York County to Aroostook County takes most of a day. In winter, snow and ice make any weekly appointment harder to keep. Video removes the drive, and the text and phone check-ins between sessions keep things moving during a long February.
Maine, region by region
- Southern Maine: Portland, South Portland, Scarborough, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth and the York County coast.
- Lewiston-Auburn and the central lakes: the state’s second urban area and the towns around it.
- Augusta and the Kennebec Valley: the capital and surrounding communities.
- Midcoast and Downeast: Brunswick, Bath, Camden and the coast toward Bar Harbor and Machias.
- Bangor and the north: Bangor, the western mountains and Aroostook County, which locals call The County.
Maine’s economy
Health care is the largest employer in much of the state. Tourism fills the coast and lakes in summer and the mountains in winter. Lobstering and fishing remain central to many coastal towns, and forest products, from paper to lumber, still matter inland. Bath is known for building ships for the Navy, Aroostook County grows potatoes, and Portland has a growing mix of professional services, food businesses and remote workers who moved for the quality of life.
Maine also has one of the oldest populations in the country. Many young people feel pulled toward Boston or further for opportunity, and some return later. Seasonal work patterns can make it hard for a young adult to find steady footing.
Schools and education in general terms
Maine public education runs through many small town districts and regional school units that share schools across several towns. In some places, towns without their own high school send students to private academies with public tuition, a long-standing arrangement in parts of the state. Maine also has a number of independent day and boarding schools that enroll students from in state and around the world.
After high school, students can choose campuses of the state public university system, a community college system with locations across Maine, or private colleges. A good share of Maine students leave for other New England states or further, and Maine colleges draw many students from out of state.
How a mentor can help in Maine
For teens and parents
Mentors help a high school student build routines, stay on top of classes and plan beyond graduation, with parents involved from the intro call onward. See mentoring for high school students and mentoring for families. Students at boarding school can see mentoring for boarding school students.
For college students
Small colleges and big campuses alike ask a first-year student to manage time alone. A mentor meets by video wherever the student lives. See mentoring for college students.
For young adults
Whether the goal is steady year-round work, a move to Portland or Boston, or staying close to family and building a life locally, young adult mentoring turns it into weekly steps.
Pages for areas in Maine
See online mentoring in Portland, Maine. Families near the New Hampshire line may also find Southern New Hampshire or Boston helpful. Our online mentoring page explains video sessions, and mentoring by state covers every state.
Related
- Online mentoring in Portland, Maine
- College transition mentoring
- Mentoring for boarding school students
- Online vs in-person mentoring
Common questions
What time zone are sessions in for Maine?
Eastern time. Maine is three hours ahead of Los Angeles, and we always schedule in your local time.
Can you work with a student in Aroostook County or a small island town?
Yes. Sessions are entirely online, so any location with a reliable internet connection works.
Do you work with students at boarding or town academy schools?
Yes. We work with students at any kind of school and are not affiliated with any school.
Get started
Want to talk about a student or young adult in Maine? 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.