Sean Trevalyan volunteers his time 2 days a week on the Oasis driving program. He helps learner drivers towards doing their driving test and getting a driver’s license.
“I’ve always wanted to give something back,” says Sean, explaining why helping disadvantaged young people is a cause close to his heart. “At the age of 15, my son became a heavy cannabis user and by late 16 he was living out of home and getting pretty chaotic. Paul Moulds at Oasis put the figurative arm around his shoulder and tried to give him some guidance. It meant a lot to me as a parent because without Oasis who knows what would have happened to him.”
Becoming a driving supervisor has been a rewarding way of getting involved for Sean. “So far I’ve worked with 5 different kids and all of them seem to be very appreciative of the driving lessons. It’s an issue in employment these days; if you don’t have a driver’s license, you can be limited. It’s also a self-esteem thing I think, if you’ve had a bit of a hard life, done time or lived on the street it’s a good short-term achievement to get your driver’s license. And it’s a very liberating thing. Even if you don’t have your own car, you can hire a car or drive your mate’s car. It’s a rite of passage.
And Sean admits there is definitely a sense of achievement when his students improve. "I haven’t got anyone through a test yet so that’ll be a really nice thing when it happens. I’m looking forward to that."
