For many of us, getting a driving licence is the biggest step towards personal freedom.
Yet for young people who can’t learn to drive — whether they lack family support or access to a car — everything from schooling to employability can be hindered.
Youth Off The Streets’ iDrive program helps young people gain driving experience with a volunteer mentor. Initially offered through our Merrylands Chapel School and Step Up program, then through our Marrickville refuge, the program has enjoyed steady popularity.
Youth Off The Streets sponsors young people to obtain their L-plates and, ultimately, their Ps. In the interim, each young person in the program receives at least five professional driving lessons. They can then accumulate logbook hours with a volunteer iDrive supervisor. The vehicle is provided by Youth Off The Streets.
The ability to drive opens up a wealth of job opportunities requiring frequent travel, including sales, hospitality and construction.
What’s more, learning to drive with a mentor helps to develop a young person’s maturity and resilience, and gives them a competitive edge – making them reliable and confident additions to the workforce.
Chris, an iDrive mentor of four years, has seen the benefits firsthand.
“I think the greatest satisfaction is opening the door for them to pursue a career with the freedom driving gives them,” he explains.
“One young person couldn’t take on a shop manager role because she couldn’t drive. Once she got her licence, she put her hand up to manage multiple outlets across Sydney.
“Her success in getting the job really put a smile on her face.”
For Chris, the experience is more than just a chance to help young people accumulate driving hours.
“It’s an outlet for the young person to get things off their chest. If they want to open up about issues they’re facing, I’m there for them. I listen without judgement.”
John, a fellow iDrive mentor, agrees.
“I think it helps that I’m not one of their teachers. I’m not a counsellor or a caseworker. I’m a regular person who has no agenda but to listen to them and be a friend. And they can tell from my age alone that I’m an experienced driver, someone to look up to!
“I enjoy their company and they seem to enjoy mine. The most rewarding thing is seeing one of them pass their driving test. I’ve been involved in helping them achieve their dream. That’s a great feeling.”
John answered a call-out for volunteers in a local newspaper last year, and is proud to help young people find their independence in a safe and supportive environment.
“It’s not about instructing them. I establish the ground rules for driving pretty quickly and show them what I expect of them. But by the second or third session, I just let them take me where they want to go. I bring them back to centre-field when I need to.”
One of the program’s primary advantages is the increased mobility it provides to young people in locations with limited public transport.
Now, thanks to recent funding, iDrive can expand even further: to Craig Davis College in Cordeaux Heights, Bowen College in Maroubra, and The Lakes College in Blue Haven on the NSW Central Coast. Enrolments have already begun in earnest.
As these young people strive to develop new skills, it is our volunteer mentors who give them the keys to independence.
Are you a confident driver looking for a volunteering opportunity? View our current offerings or contact mentoring@youthoffthestreets.com.au to see how you can help young people build a positive future.