Blue Light Association learner driver program ‘changing community outcomes’

With employment and education opportunities limited for young people without a licence, here’s how regional police are helping youth get behind the wheel and reach their potential.

Learning to drive can be a steep and challenging learning curve, but add to this the challenge of completing 100 hours of supervised driving, and the hurdles can become too much for a lot of young people.

For Jabreeni Fogarty, not having a licence was fine when he lived on the Gold Coast because he could reliably get around using public transport. However, when he moved home to Cunnamulla, he found that the only way he could have freedom was with a licence.

Mr Fogarty used the Blue Light Association learner driver service to get his licence in Cunnamulla.

The Cunnamulla Blue Light Association was able to buy their vehicle with a grant from the Regional Arts Development Fund.

The Cunnamulla Blue Light learner driver vehicle has been in action since June 2021, and has helped at least 14 students get their licence. One of the program’s original advocates, Nic van Niekerk, said that having a licence in Cunnamulla was very important because it helped young people further their skill sets and become employed.

With the success of the Cunnamulla program, the Charleville Blue Light branch initiated a similar program in September 2022. Charleville program co-ordinator, Jenny Peacock, said the service has been used more than 100 times over the last 12 months.

The Charleville Blue Light Association was able to buy a manual vehicle for learner drivers with the help of sponsorship and grants.

While the Cunnamulla service is run by police volunteers, the Charleville service relies on volunteers from across the community.

Ms Peacock said she volunteers once a week as a mentor, and found that a lot of students used the sessions to talk about what was going on in their lives, which was critical for mental health maintenance in young people.

“It’s amazing to give back to the young people in the community, especially those who might not have the resources at home,” she said.

Charleville community support service worker, Angela Young, is also a volunteer for the service.

Ms Young said that she has had some enlightening and interesting chats with the students she mentors. She said students talk about a range of topics from school and future goals, to alcohol, drugs, and bullying.

“It’s been a really enriching experience,” she said.

The Blue Light Association program is helping Charleville and Cunnamulla locals get their driver's licence.

Ms Young said that while the program is still too new to be able to see measurable change in community outcomes, she thinks that it has expanded the support networks of students who have been through the program.

The Charleville program currently has six active volunteers, but are looking for more so the supply of the sessions can keep up with community demand.