Mineral Resources (MinRes) is proud to help celebrate the McGovern Foundation’s Wanderer Program reaching a significant milestone – assisting its 150th participant to obtain their provisional driver’s licence.
The Wanderer Program provides mentoring and supervised driver training to help transform the lives of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and disadvantaged youth – supporting them to access safe vehicles, obtain their learner’s permit and complete the 50 supervised hours needed to obtain their P plates.
One recent success story is 23-year-old year old mother of two Shakeena Whitby-Taylor, who became the 150th person to gain her P plates through the Wanderer Program.
Reflecting on her journey, McGovern Foundation Director and Founder Andrew McGovern said obtaining a driver’s licence had been a life-changing experience for Shakeena.
“Shakeena reached out to us in desperation because she didn’t have anyone else to turn to,” Andrew said.
“With her mum battling cancer, Shakeena sought our help to obtain her licence and, with her newfound independence, she’s now supporting her mum during this challenging time by driving her to medical appointments.”
Shakeena’s experience is testament to the far-reaching impact of the Wanderer Program. By breaking down barriers to obtaining a driver’s licence, the McGovern Foundation is enabling young Western Australians like Shakeena to access education, gain employment and participate in social activities that were once out of reach.
MinRes Chief Executive Lithium and partnership sponsor Josh Thurlow said a lack of vehicle access and limited means to pay for driving lessons often made it near-impossible for disadvantaged youth to complete the supervised driving hours required to get their P plates.
“MinRes is proud to support the impactful work of the Wanderer Program, contributing $1.2 million over four years to help remove one of the biggest barriers to young people obtaining work and building successful careers,” Josh said.
“Congratulations to Shakeena for being the program’s latest success story. We’re looking forward to seeing even more safe drivers on the road thanks to the incredible team at the McGovern Foundation.”
Since its launch in Perth almost two years ago, the Wanderer Program has now expanded to Northam, Narrogin, Katanning and Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Continued demand for the program means the McGovern Foundation is now supporting an additional 170 young people to obtain their driver’s licence.
MinRes is proud to help the McGovern Foundation grow the success of program and looks forward to sharing more success stories.
Learn more about the McGovern Foundation’s Wanderer Program at mcgovernfoundation.org.au
