Volunteer mentors sought for programme helping Te Puke teens to get licences

Blue Light Youth Driver Navigation helps teens gain their driver's licence and is looking for volunteer mentors.

A programme that assists teens get their full driver's licence is looking for volunteers to help and sponsors to bring it to Te Puke.

There are 51 Te Puke High School students who are currently part of the Blue Light Youth Driver Navigation (BLYDN) programme.

But those students have to find their way to Mount Maunganui College in order to be able to take part.

''At this stage we're hoping eventually we are going to have a Blue Light car based [in Te Puke],'' says Western Bay of Plenty BLYDN co-ordinator Ryan Baronian.

''That would make it easier for our navigators as they do have to go to Mount College carpark, pick up a car, then head back out to Te Puke.''

There have been times when a driving instructor has been hired as an alternative.

''So obviously, if we can get a car and put it in the community and get community support, that's going to be the ideal.''

The programme aims to guide teenagers from having no licence to getting a full licence.

''We will help them get their learner's licence, pair them up [with a mentor] for how ever long they need to get their restricted. Once they get the restricted we will support them though their defensive driving course and then finally their full licence. Our goal is targeting them to have a full licence by the time they leave school,'' says Ryan.

Students have to meet one of three criteria.

''It's not just open to anyone - they need to be from a whānau with limited financial means, or with no one within the family that has a full licence that could take them out driving as a supervisor, or they don't have a car at home that's legal and suitable for them to be driving.''

Ryan says he is hopes funding can be found to allow more Te Puke High School students to be part of the programme next year.

The programme was set up three years ago to help teenagers overcome the barriers they face to getting a licence.

Having a licence can have a profound effect on young people.

They avoid the risk of fines and enjoy the benefits of holding a licence including better access to jobs or training, and simply having a legitimate form of photo identification.

Without a licence, jobs are not as accessible, appointments become hard to manage and every day tasks become a burden.

Blue Light CEO Rod Bell says the programme is particularly important in rural areas and the impact on kids' lives this programme has cannot be underestimated.

"Public transport isn't an option in many rural areas, and many of the families we deal with are managing low income work and simply can't afford to pay for the tests, let alone driving lessons. A driver's licence wouldn't have been possible for these kids and many others without the Blue Light programme," says Rod.

The programme also relies on volunteers for it to continue. On August 31 there will be a navigator recruitment evening upstairs at Worlds End Bar, Fraser Cove, Tauranga, at 6pm.

Volunteers are needed to mentor those on the programme and guide them through the licence process. Volunteers should have one to two hours free a week and a full, clean driver's licence. BLYDN provides the vehicles.