14 April 2021

Youth Action Project grant driving success for Para Hills High School students

Para Hills High School’s ‘Driving for Success’ Program has been awarded $10,000 through the Australian Government’s Youth Action Project Grant Scheme.

In Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs, the Para Hills High School program offers subsidised driving lessons and access to a vehicle for students unable to afford these resources.

Senator the Hon David Fawcett believes the Australian Government funding for this program will have a constructive impact, given the challenges young people have faced over the last year.

“While young people were still able to practice driving throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, those without an adult in their household able to supervise them or a vehicle to practice in were negatively impacted throughout the year as a result of restrictions,” Senator Fawcett said.

“It became a lot more difficult to have a driving lesson in close quarters with an instructor, or book a driving test as spaces were limited once they resumed in June 2020. Young people were also disproportionately affected in terms of employment during the pandemic, so these young people who relied on their own income to fund driving lessons were also less likely to be able to afford them.”

“Now restrictions are being eased, programs like ‘Driving for Success’ go some way to bridge the gap for these young people which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Australian Government’s Youth Action Project Grant Scheme, administered by the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA), is being delivered to assist young Australians to bounce back from the impact of the 2019/20 Black Summer Bushfires, COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing challenges with employment, mental health, and transportation. Research demonstrates that these challenges have had a profound and disproportionate impact on the lives of young people.

In response to these challenges, the Youth Action Project Grants are providing between $5,000 and $20,000 to projects that support young people, between the ages of 15 and 24, as they navigate and recover from this challenging period.

For more information on the Youth Action Project Grants, go to https://www.fya.org.au/yapgs/.

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