LEARNING life skills – from small engine mechanics to cooking – has featured in Youth HQ’s services to the town’s young people and now there’s another one on offer – whether learning from scratch or just polishing-up.


My Drive School is the latest addition to the Youth HQ building – a simulation game to teach teenagers how to drive online, with graduated pass/fail learning modules.


While it has been labelled ‘fun’ by users, it is also safe and – according to the data – it works, with ‘students’ rated 48% more competent and 17% less anxious, when it come to sitting behind a real steering wheel.


The system involves a big screen, which gives the feel of being in a car, on the road and controls featuring the ability to look left and right, as well as over your shoulder and all the safety features of a regular car, including indicators.


Youth HQ leader, Kane Forbes said the program was brought to his attention via a Southern Grampians Youth Network meeting in 2024.


“The theme was all around driving, so there were various guest speakers and My Drive School was one of them,” he said.


“At the time when they presented, I thought this could be a targeted way that I could get the older kids through the door.


“It’s a really good pre-requisite, if they are going to L2P, earning their licence, it’s all about trying to create confidence in your driving and it’s a series of modules.


“We pay a subscription which gives us a limited number of users, so we can have up to 10 active users a month


“Kids will register, do their courses, they’ll get a certificate to say when they’re finished and hopefully it’ll help remove the anxiety about getting in behind the wheel.


“It’s especially if there’s people that have not necessarily got someone they can drive with, this will take away some of the stress and at least they’ll have some sort of practical skills around it.


“The one thing we did learn is that (young drivers in rural areas) learn bad habits, especially if they learned to drive on the farm.


“A local young fella went to get his licence interstate, but he kept failing because he kept having just one hand on the wheel.”


Funding for the My Drive School simulator came primarily from United Way Glenelg, through its community grant program, which chief executive, Nicole Carr said was fully sourced from local donations.


“Our community grants fund is local people giving money to our organisation, which then goes into projects like this,” Ms Carr said.


“So the equipment is owned by Hands Up Casterton, which is auspiced by (Casterton Memorial Hospital).


“What we have done in the past is, if (Youth HQ) closes down or the equipment is no longer needed, we ask that it would be donated to a like-for-like organisation.


“For example, when Lewis Court in Portland closed down, we gave them quite a bit of equipment and that was donated to another aged care facility.


“We like it to go somewhere, where it’s still being used.”


To celebrate Casterton’s newest ‘driving school’ and properly introduce it to the community, Youth HQ will be holding a driver challenge day in early April.


Hands Up Casterton is in the process of signing-up a list of ‘local celebrities’ – those who are well-known in the community and quite a few who spend a lot of time driving in their line of work.


When finalised, the challenge day will be announced and young drivers invited to test their skills against the adults.


Watch this space for more details.