Blackburn Mentoring provides one-on-one mentoring and coaching by video throughout South Dakota, plus in person in Los Angeles, for teens 13 and up, college students and young adults, and has done this work since 2014. The first step is a free 20 minute intro call; after that, you are matched with a mentor within 2 business days.

Best for students and families like these:

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 and young adults anywhere in South Dakota can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. Sessions are scheduled in your local time: Central time for Sioux Falls and most of the eastern half of the state, Mountain time for Rapid City, the Black Hills and much of West River. A parent is always involved for high school students.

East River, West River and the miles in between

South Dakotans divide their state by the Missouri River, and the two halves feel different. East River is farm country, flatter and more populated, anchored by Sioux Falls. West River is ranch land, Badlands and the Black Hills, with Rapid City as its hub. Pierre, the capital, sits on the river in the middle.

What both halves share is distance. Outside the two largest cities, towns are small and spread out, and a specialist of almost any kind can be an hour or more away. That is the practical reason video mentoring fits here: a student in a small town gets the same weekly mentor as a student in Sioux Falls, and nobody spends an afternoon in the car.

How people make a living here

Agriculture. Corn, soybeans, wheat and cattle shape the rural economy and the rhythm of many families.
Financial services. Sioux Falls has long been home to banking and credit card operations, a big source of office jobs.
Health care. Large health systems in Sioux Falls and Rapid City are among the biggest employers in the state.
Tourism. Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills and Badlands National Park draw visitors every summer.
Military. An Air Force base near Rapid City is a major presence in western South Dakota.

School, college and the question of leaving

Most South Dakota students attend public schools, many of them small enough that a graduating class fits in one room. There are some private and parochial schools, mostly in the larger towns. After high school, students choose among the state’s public universities, technical colleges and a handful of private and tribal colleges, while a steady share head across the border to Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska or farther.

Leaving a small town for a campus of thousands is a big step, and so is staying home and starting work at eighteen. A mentor helps a student think through both paths before senior year forces the decision.

Where a mentor makes a difference

High school students

Small schools are close communities, but they offer fewer electives and fewer adults with time for one student’s plans. A mentor meets weekly to build study routines, plan for work, college or the trades, and keep the student accountable. See mentoring for high school students.

College students

Whether the student stays in South Dakota or goes out of state, the first year brings new freedom and new ways to fall behind. Our college student mentoring keeps classes, money and routines on track.

Young adults and professionals

Some young adults return to the family farm or business; others want to move to Sioux Falls or out of state for work. A mentor helps turn that choice into weekly steps. See young adult mentoring.

How it works from South Dakota

Start with the five-minute assessment. Someone on our team reads it and sets up a free intro call, and from there you are matched with one mentor. Sessions run 60 minutes by video, at a time that fits school, chores or a work shift.

Parents of high school students can join the intro call, agree the goals and get regular progress updates. Learn more about how online mentoring works, our approach for families, or browse mentoring in every state.

Pages for areas in South Dakota

What shapes the teenage and early adult years in South Dakota

On farms and ranches, the school year bends around the land. Fall harvest and spring calving can pull teenagers into long days of work before and after class, and plenty of young people are trusted with real equipment and real responsibility well before they can vote. In the Black Hills the rhythm is tourism: summer brings hiring at lodges, attractions and campgrounds, and the big motorcycle rally each August floods the region with visitors right as practices and the school year begin. Winter is long, and a blizzard can shut down roads and schools for days at a time.

Sioux Falls keeps drawing young adults from small towns across the region, which means a lot of twenty-somethings signing a first lease in a city where they know almost no one. Technical colleges feed health care, welding, diesel and construction work, and many students go straight into those programs. Students from tribal nations and reservation communities are often weighing college against staying close to family and community. The long-running South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship rewards students who complete a demanding high school curriculum and stay in state. Because the requirements get updated, families should check the official state site before planning around it.

Common situations for South Dakota families and young adults

A teen who runs a grain cart in October and helps with calving in March, fitting homework into what is left.
A Rapid City or Spearfish student working a summer job at a Black Hills attraction while preseason practice starts.
A young adult who moved from a town of a few hundred to an apartment in Sioux Falls and is building a social life from nothing.
A student from a reservation community who would be the first in the family to attend college and wants to stay connected to home.
A graduate choosing between a diesel or nursing program close by and a four-year campus in another state.

South Dakota splits across two time zones: most of East River uses Central time, and most of West River uses Mountain time. Sessions are held by video in whichever zone you live in, and in-person meetings happen only in Los Angeles. Helpful reading: how to choose a trade, our guide for the first-generation college student, state merit scholarships and our education by state hub. For the state’s largest city, see Sioux Falls.

Common questions

Which time zone are sessions scheduled in?

Your own. Sioux Falls and most of East River are on Central time; Rapid City and much of West River are on Mountain time. We confirm your time zone before the first session.

Will a slow rural internet connection work?

Usually, yes. Video works on most home connections and on a phone, and if a call drops, the mentor can finish by phone.

Can a mentor work around harvest or calving season?

Yes. Session times can shift when farm or ranch work gets heavy.

Get started

Want to talk about a student or young adult in South Dakota? 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

Free, by video, 20 minutes, with a member of our team. Weekdays 9 to 5 Pacific.

Online Mentoring and Coaching in South Dakota