Youth worker car dismantling passes initial target

April 4th, 2010
By Kate Markham

Youths working on the dismantling of the youth workers' vehicle at Get Safe Motueka have successfully reached their target of $500 through the sale of parts and are still to dismantle the engine and motor.

In October 2009 the youth workers' vehicle at Get Safe Motueka suffered severe mechanical failure which was uneconomical to repair. We were offered $600 scrap metal value for the vehicle, which would go nowhere in securing a replacement.

After a bit of thought I came up with the idea of dismantling the car with a group of young people I support and selling the parts on Trade Me. (User name "getsafemotueka"). So far the youths have successfully reached their target of $500 and are still to dismantle the engine and motor. They hope to raise $2000 in the next few months.

We started with four young people and have more than doubled that number on occasions as the young people heard about it and pitched up to see and give a hand. The participants are all doing hands-on work under the guidance of me and a volunteer mechanic. They are also learning about promotion and sale of car parts.

The aims of the car project are 1) to inspire young people to act on their passion for mechanics, 2) teach them car mechanics and how to dismantle cars professionally, and 3) support them to learn a range of good work practises and skills.

There are a number of young people in Motueka between 15-18 years of age who are disengaged and looking to leave school. Most have no clear direction and need to find an alternative pathway and opportunity to move forward. The popularity of this project has prompted Get Safe to start looking at ways to run the project again once this one has ended.

We see it as an opportunity to develop a range of employment and technical skills, providing a stepping stone from school into the real world of employment or future employment as well as having fun!

The youths want to thank the people who have supported the project so far by volunteering time to help, buying parts, and Bays for giving us a space to work in.

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