Tooba and Imran, newish Kiwis living in Masterton, have both passed their restricted driver’s license and have also passed a defensive driving course which will allow them to speed up the sitting of their full licenses. Both require a driver’s license as part of their full-time employment contracts and have worked hard on the ChangeMakers Driving For Inclusion programme to make that happen.
Trust House Wairarapa funded a pilot of the Driving For Inclusion programme, which was developed to work with people of refugee background who are resettling in Masterton. The programme is a specialist programme for people for whom English is a second language and who do not have the same contextual experiences as longer-term Kiwis – namely having grown up in vehicles, on roads, or having family that can teach one to drive or look after the kids. A huge thanks goes out to Trust House who funded the pilot, which has been successful, and also to Wairarapa Road Safety Council, REAP Wairarapa, Red Cross, and Jackie Hill for their ongoing support.
Going forward, we are running a full Driving For Inclusion programme in Masterton, and also serving people of refugee background in the wider Wairarapa, thanks to Waka Kotahi supporting us over a longer term. We have employed a coordinator, and are going to be on the lookout for volunteer Driving Mentors; people that are trained to take learner Drivers out on practice drives. Driving supports resettlement, driving supports employment, driving supports safety, and driving supports inclusion.
For more information or to volunteer, please contact Kate on kate.twyford@crf.org.nz.
