How Sasha opened the door to employment by learning to drive

Having a support network to keep her on track to her goals, Sasha was able to pursue her dream of learning to drive.  

Sasha connected with Bamara through the ParentsNext program in February 2022, delivered in Mareeba. She was struggling with not being able to access reliable transport due to living in a remote area. Because of this Sasha knew she wanted to achieve her driver’s licence to gain more independence.  

When Sasha met her Bamara Support Mentor, Vicki, they started to build a plan to help Sasha gain her licence. Her main motivation for being able to drive was to have the ability to look for and travel to work, which had been difficult to date.  

Emerging from these initial meetings, Vicki saw that Sasha would greatly benefit from enrolling into PrepL, an online learning and assessment program that helps participants gain a Queensland licence.  

Sasha was very reluctant to participate as she did not believe in her abilities enough to see that she could pass this. With the right support, Sasha was encouraged to join, and Bamara arranged and supported her to enrol in the program.

“Sasha did not have confidence in her ability to pass the course,” said Vicki.

“Once she had completed the first module in the office, she was happy to continue with the rest on her own.”  

Bamara provided internet access for Sasha to complete her online PrepL course, which gave her the freedom to progress at home on a schedule that fits around caring for her family.

“Sasha has successfully passed her learner licence test and taken the first step towards meeting her goal of becoming independent,” said Vicki.

Being given the tools to succeed, Sasha is thriving in her new independence. With the assistance she has been given to learn to drive, Sasha plans to find work that she can travel to and looks forward to the exciting opportunities that will come her way in the near future.

“I am very proud of Sasha, and she is very happy and proud of herself for taking this first step,” said Vicki.

“She now looks forward to driving lessons.”     

Bamara is excited for Sasha’s future with her new driving skills and the doors this big step will open for her.