Braking the Cycle’s driver mentors

At 82, David Gill is proud to be one of PCYC Queensland’s oldest volunteers. As a driver-mentor for the Braking the Cycle program for more than four years, David provides safe driving mentorship to young drivers seeking to gain their licence. 

David said he gets great satisfaction from seeing the direct, practical outcomes of his volunteering in his community. 

“The main reward for me is to see the young people I mentor get their licence, and go on to get the job they were seeking. It changes their lives and you can see them grow in confidence,” he said. 

“It’s not often you can see the direct outcome of an organisation’s mission manifest itself. Volunteering with the Braking the Cycle program, and seeing the community outcomes, really is at the essence of what PCYC Queensland is all about.” 

Across Queensland, more than 1,600 volunteers give their time, knowledge, and energy to help PCYC Queensland deliver training, support and recreational programs targeting young people, and building some incredible relationships and community connections while they do it. 

Braking the Cycle is one of the most popular programs, for participants and for volunteers, and sees volunteer driver mentors help people without access to a vehicle or supervising adult to ensure they gain the required 100 hours of experience prior to obtaining their licence. 

The program is also a great option or volunteers seeking to make a tangible change and help contribute to ensuring our roads are full of safe drivers.  

A recent evaluation undertaken by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission and Queensland University of Technology found that drivers who had participated in Braking the Cycle had incurred significantly fewer traffic offences of any type and were involved in fewer crashes when compared to a matched control group.

Braking the Cycle Coordinator at PCYC Cairns, Drew Wicks, described Braking the Cycle’s driver mentors as an “incredible gift”. 

“PCYC’s commitment to youth development and crime prevention relies heavily on their hands-on support, and I cannot emphasise enough how thankful I am for their commitment,” he said. 

Braking the Cycle is in high demand across Queensland, and volunteers are always needed. Being a driver mentor for Braking the Cycle is a rewarding role, with the relationships between driver and mentor often just as impactful as the skills being learned behind the wheel. 

“We are a community, and volunteers are at the heart of it,” said Sarah Pitt, Braking the Cycle Coordinator at PCYC Beenleigh. 

“Volunteers bring warmth, energy, and a shared sense of purpose, and without them, PCYC simply would not be the same.” 

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Braking the Cycle driver mentor and making a real impact in a young person’s life, click here.