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Funds added to help young people in care learn to drive

A program that helps young people in government care learn to drive is being expanded.
Driving
Metro Vancouver is looking for 200 volunteers to participate in study on driving. People will learn how to drive more efficiently, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption.

A program that helps young people in government care learn to drive is being expanded.  

Funding is doubling for the Take the Wheel driver training program to $100,000, with the Federation of BC Youth in Care Networks, ICBC and the provincial government collaborating with youth in care to expand the program from its initial launch.

"For some, learning how to drive is not just a rite of passage, but a necessary, life-long practical skill, especially for those who live in areas where easy access to public transportation is not always a viable option," said Katrine Conroy, minister of Children and Family Development, in a news release. "We want to be sure that young people who have been in care can access the same opportunities as everyone else, and gain the kind of skills many parents see as necessary for their children."

Take the Wheel was established in 2017 as a pilot program, and the ministry has donated an additional two vehicles for youth, who may not otherwise have access to a vehicle for practice or road tests.

The ministry has also re-invested $61,000 in Strive, a 12-week program offered through the YWCA that helps youth and young adults gain life and employability skills, as well as $150,000 for Agedout.com, a website that provides resource connections for youth transitioning out of government care.

As of April 1, the Agreements with Young Adults program has been expanded to make more funding available, throughout the calendar year, to eligible former youth in care under the age of 27, to help them complete post-secondary, rehabilitation and/or approved life-skills programs.

On June 4, government expanded the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program launched in September 2017, adding tuition-fee waivers for construction trades training delivered by union providers