Over the past 20 years, Ballarat's Kylie Ellis has volunteered in a swathe of countries across the globe.
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Before moving to the city four years ago, Ms Ellis had helped children at a Panamanian orphanage, passed the time with seniors in an Indigenous old folks home in Canada's far north, and helped countless others in places such as Papua New Guinea and Turkey.
She is now a volunteer mentor with the Ballarat Foundation's L2P program, which pairs young learner drivers with a supervising adult to build up hours towards getting a driver's licence.
To her, volunteering comes naturally.
"I always think, if I was killed by a bus tomorrow, I have spent today teaching someone to drive, not sitting on my butt watching Netflix," Ms Ellis said.
Ms Ellis is one of millions of volunteers being celebrated worldwide as part of the UN's International Volunteers Day, which recognises the critical role those who give their time for free play in communities around the world.
She first signed up to mentor for the L2P program when she moved to Ballarat, as a way to meet new people.
"I am the daughter of a truck driver, so I have been driving since I was about six," Ms Ellis said.
"I didn't know a soul when I moved to Ballarat, so the first thing I did was enrol in this program."
"If I have time, it is my duty to give it"
Ms Ellis has successfully coached several young drivers into getting their P-plate licence, all the while forming a strong bond with her students that goes beyond driving lessons.
One student of hers was an 18-year-old apprentice who needed his licence to work, another a woman scared of driving due to being in accidents when she was younger.
In an earlier volunteering role Ms Ellis taught adults how to swim, and said getting students comfortable with driving was a similar process.
"Getting an adult used to water when they are terrified is fairly similar to getting somebody used to a car when they are terrified. It is just being able to judge when to go easy," Ms Ellis said.
"Most of the time our students have other issues besides not having their licence. Once they feel comfortable with you, they will share with you, because you are not anyone who has any power over their lives. It is easy for them to share.
"We talk a lot about issues at home. I don't ever try to fix anything, I just listen and empathise. Just try and be a friend and an ear. Help if I can."
Ms Ellis said her most memorable experience during her time as an L2P mentor was when her first student got their P-plates.
"I hadn't done this before, and I didn't know Ballarat either when I started, so we ended up in some crazy places. We didn't know where we were," Ms Ellis said.
"We always drove at night, because she and I were only available at night, and it was winter.
"We spent the whole of winter driving at night and she just got her licence like that. We had been in so many situations that she had to be familiar with them. I was so proud."
She encouraged others to sign-up to volunteer for the program.
"If I have time, I just think it is my duty to give it. It is never one way, you always get as much back as you give," Ms Ellis said.
Call for volunteers
The Ballarat chapter of the L2P program is the state's second largest, and services an area including Hepburn, Golden Plains and Moorabool shires.
About 60 volunteers mentors are involved with the Ballarat program and help learner drivers aged 16 to 21 get their required 120 hours of driving practice, and older learner drivers gain confidence on the road.
Ballarat Foundation's L2P coordinator Padma Giri said the program still has a waitlist of more than 110 learner drivers, but was funded to assist 113 learners at any given time.
"As a community we see a number of disadvantages people may face in their personal circumstances," Ms Giri said.
"(For example,) no access to an adult in the family, or no support from their family, no suitable car in the family.
"They may have parents with medical issues, or the other person has to be a carer, so they cannot afford time to go with the young individual in the car."
About two to three hours a week of dedicated lesson time is expected of volunteer mentors with the program, and the Ballarat Foundation can provide police checks, working with children checks and driver's history checks for free upon sign-up.
Potential volunteers will need to have a full Australian driver's licence.
"We have seen young people who have no access to transport and have not been out of the house for months," Ms Giri said.
"The one way to get out is through L2P, and to learn about places within the regional community they live."
