{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"In celebration of Black History Month, Scout Ambassador Dwayne Fields shares his thoughts on the importance of role models, his upcoming expedition, and a lesson we could all use when we\u2019re having a tough time","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/4056/dwayne-bhm-blog-reduced.jpg","width":1500,"height":996,"altText":"Dwayne Fields in a forest","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EPeople often tell us about Scout leaders who were their role models growing up. About a leader they looked up to; the person they wanted to be just like. It\u2019s why working with young people is such an important job \u2013 who you are, can help determine who they will be.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EScout Ambassador Dwayne Fields knows the value of role models \u2013 alongside his great-grandmother (a glass-half-full matriarch who made him feel like there was nothing quite like learning in the outdoors), Matthew Henson is one of his. And if you haven\u2019t heard of Matthew Henson, Black History Month is a perfect opportunity to think about why. \u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/4028/matthew_henson_2.jpg","width":1200,"height":1425,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERemembering Matthew Henson\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMatthew Henson may have been the first person to reach the North Pole. The trouble is, there\u2019s some dispute over who was first. Frederick Cook claimed to reach it in 1908 but failed to provide navigational records to prove it. The following year an expedition led by Robert Peary is believed to have got there but skeptics question that too. And if Peary\u2019s team was the first to reach it, it\u2019s unclear whether it was Peary or his team-mate \u2013 Matthew Henson \u2013 who reached it first.\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe pioneering black explorer Matthew Henson was an expert dog-sledder, hunter, craftsman and navigator. He became fluent in Inuit. Peary and Henson explored side by side over 20 years and Peary said \u2018I can\u2019t get along without him.\u2019\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAlthough Henson received a degree of fame following the expedition, according to National Geographic, \u2018for nearly a century, Henson\u2019s contributions to polar explorations were downplayed in favour of Peary.\u2019\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn 2000, he was posthumously awarded the Hubbard medal, the National Geographic Society\u2019s highest honour for exploration.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf he can do it\u2026\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EWhen Dwayne Fields first discovered Henson, he was inspired by the parallels he found with his own life. He said, \u2018I found that Henson had come from a background where he was estranged from both his parents. I was in a similar place at the time.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018Social expectations and social norms were that black people know their place at that time, and funnily enough growing up on an estate in East London, there are social norms that tell you as a black person you do not go to the North Pole, adventure is not for you, know your place kind of thing, and the social stereotypes that he experienced I found I\u2019d experienced similar ones, even though we were a hundred years apart.\u2019\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDwayne considers Henson a role model because, \u2018he overcame all of these challenges by upskilling himself \u2013 by learning the local language, by learning how to navigate and how to do carpentry, by furthering his knowledge, by making himself an indispensable part of the team.\u2019\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInspired to inspire others\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn November 2020 Dwayne plans to trek across Antarctica alongside Scout Adventurer Phoebe Smith. They\u2019ll walk from Beckner\u2019s Island colony of emperor penguins to the South Pole \u2013 unsupported and unassisted \u2013 a world first in Antarctica.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBoth coming from underrepresented groups in the adventure world, they want to show that anyone, regardless of their background, can make their dreams come true.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDwayne explains that \u2013 as a black man and for Phoebe as a woman \u2013 \u2018we were the unlikely in the adventure world. If I said to you, name five adventurers. Chances are they\u2019re going to be male, white, middle aged, middle class, possibly ex-military, and probably quite wealthy.\u2019\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u00A0\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHe says, \u2018we want to make sure young people in the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years see people from black and ethnic minorities doing these kinds of things, they see women doing these kinds of things. They see us doing it and say \u201Cwell actually I can do it too.\u201D\u2019\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/4029/3.jpg","width":1200,"height":1800,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdventure is for all\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EDwayne believes Scouts is the perfect platform to share the opportunities and skills inherent to adventure with young people from all backgrounds. He says adventure is a great way to acquire skills \u2018like leadership, empathy, confidence, the determination to overcome challenges.\u2019\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELast year he took six young people from across London to Gilwell Park, the Scouts\u2019 UK home. \u2018I gave them some basic outdoor survival skills and then led them up the highest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis in Scotland,\u2019 he explains. \u2018I would love to do that for every young person in the country because I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything more rewarding. They get to say: It was tough. It was hard. But I learnt skills. I made friends and I achieved my goal and had an epic adventure.\u2019\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA lesson we could all learn\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFrom escaping gang violence to enduring dangerously arctic conditions, Dwayne has overcome all sorts of adversity. In tough times he carries this story with him.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018I remember I was about 20 years old, homeless. I\u2019d been kicked out of the house. I had no money. I\u2019d spent one night on the night bus, just to stay warm. I rode the bus literally from one end to the next and then got off and rode it back again. That took about three or four hours. The very next night, again I had no money, so I spent the night on a central line train.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018Early the next morning, a man got on the train, and I remember thinking uh-oh he\u2019s going to kick me off the train now, he\u2019s going to yell at me, but he just stopped, looked at me and said \u201Cyou ok?\u201D I said \u201Cyes\u201D and he goes \u201Care you having a tough time?\u201D I looked at him and said \u201Cyeah.\u201D And I thought to myself I really don\u2019t want to talk to anyone right now.\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018But he looked at me and he said \u201Clook, you\u0027re having a tough time, I know, you said you are, and he pointed at a ring and said \u201Cdo you think this is a nice ring?\u201D And it was a really nice-looking ring so I said \u201Cyeah, it\u2019s a nice ring\u201D, thinking gosh where is this going?\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAnd he looked at me and said \u201Cwell, to make this ring, they had to dig deep underground, they had to burn it, beat it and bash it and in the end, it turned into a really nice ring\u201D and he said, \u201Cmaybe that\u2019s what you\u2019re going through.\u201D\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAt that point I was like: the world isn\u2019t so dark. Maybe there\u2019s a purpose to this, maybe there\u2019s a reason. I took a lot out of that story, that story travelled along with me, every time I\u2019d had a difficult time or it\u2019s a bit tough, it just reminds me that maybe this is preparing me for something bigger, something better.\u2019\u003Cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIn preparation for next year\u2019s expedition, Phoebe and Dwayne will be walking the length of Britain this Christmas, which is roughly mile for mile the same distance they\u2019ll be walking across Antarctica \u2013 about 1,300 kilometers. To find out more about Dwayne and Phoebe\u2019s upcoming expedition, or to show your support, \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://teamwetwo.com/expeditions/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Team #WeTwo homepage\u0022\u003Evisit here\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"10 October 2019","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":40260,"nodeName":"We all need role models","title":"We all need role models","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/4057/dwayne-bhm-blog-reduced.jpg?cc=0.029516539440203556,0,0.3063613231552163,0\u0026width=800\u0026height=800\u0026v=1d9becd31f4a4f0","caption":"Dwayne Fields in the forest","type":"jpg","size":634073,"width":1500,"height":996,"altText":"Dwayne Fields in a forest"},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"We all need role models","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"In celebration of Black History Month, Scout Ambassador Dwayne Fields shares his thoughts on the importance of role models, his upcoming exp","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80MDI2MCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2019/october/we-all-need-role-models/"}