Do you recall the feeling of freedom you had when you first received your driver’s license? You learned a new skill that equipped you to commute to a job, to visit a friend, or just to cruise your neighborhood. That’s a freedom that empowers!
BridgeBuilders is seeking to help teens of South Dallas earn that freedom through our new Driving Academy pilot program. Nationally, only 26% of 16-year-olds have their driver’s license, with even fewer in the community of Bonton. This insufficiency exists for a host of reasons, like the locations of driving schools, lack of transportation to get to the driving schools, and insufficient funding. We believe this should not be the case. In an effort to empower our friends and neighbors, we’ve partnered with Omega Driving School to bring this opportunity to life.
This pioneer program is the first of its kind in South Dallas. The pilot program aims to help teens get out on the roads safely, commute to high school or college, and enable them to find jobs, with new options available in the transportation industry. After initial meetings with parents from the neighborhood and lots of planning, seven students were signed up to go through the pilot program and are now receiving their training to become drivers!
Unique to the BridgeBuilders Driving Academy is the pathway into the trucking industry. Through strategic partnerships, jobs in trucking will be more available than ever to these young drivers if they choose to pursue their Commercial Driver’s License. Diversity in the trucking industry and employment opportunities are yet another reason to celebrate and thank God!
The vision for this program goes beyond getting a driver’s license or even a job- we want to impact lives with the Gospel. The Driving Academy will pair each student with a mentor to facilitate practice hours behind the wheel. We hope this will serve the dual purpose of encouraging students to pursue a relationship with God and aid them on their way to their license.
Please pray for these teens and for this program to be a success as we grow it to make it available for all residents in South Dallas. If you’re interested in mentoring or financially supporting the Driving Academy, please reach out to connect@bridgebuilders.org and we will gladly tell you more!
Pictured above: Pilot class for BridgeBuilder’s Driving Academy; Parent’s Meeting for BridgeBuilder’s Driving Academy