Hubbry Logo
Dwayne FieldsDwayne FieldsMain
Open search
Dwayne Fields
Community hub
Dwayne Fields
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Dwayne Fields
Dwayne Fields
Dwayne Fields
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Dwayne Fields FRGS (born October 1982) is a Jamaican-born British television entertainer, presenter and speaker. He travelled to the Magnetic North Pole.[1][2][3] The Scout Association appointed Fields to be its Chief Scout in 2024.[4]

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

Fields was born in Jamaica in 1982 and, from the age of six, grew up in Stoke Newington, north London.[5] He says that in his early life, he witnessed violent crime.[6][7][better source needed] He holds a degree in Psychology and Business Management from University of East London.[7]

Career

[edit]

Fields says that he was inspired to visit the North Pole after watching a breakfast television article about Ben Fogle and James Cracknell looking for a third member to assist in their expedition of Antarctica. Though he was too late to apply, his enthusiasm for the project was noted and he was asked to recreate the 1908–1909 expedition by Robert Peary and Matthew Henson, which reached what was believed at the time to be the Geographic North Pole.[7][2]

Fields has appeared as a guest on BBC's Countryfile and Springwatch with Chris Packham. On his Countryfile appearance, he said that he believed that some Black British people do not regard the countryside as "somewhere that's for them" and undertook his North Pole expedition to show that things are not necessarily impossible to achieve. He was one of the participant presenters on the series Welcome to Earth, and is currently presenting his own series, 7 Toughest Days,[8] with National Geographic and Disney+.[7][9]

He co-founded the WeTwo Foundation, which provides adventure opportunities for underprivileged young people; their inaugural trip to Antarctica was in November 2022. Fields was named an ambassador for The Scout Association in Stratford-upon-Avon,[2] and on 5 September 2024, The Scout Association appointed him to be its Chief Scout.[10]

On Tuesday the 23rd July 2024, Fields was made Honorary Colonel and corps ambassador to HM Royal Marines alongside Olympian Victoria Pendleton.[11]

In 2025, he co-presented a search for the source of the Nile with Ben Fogle on Channel 5.[citation needed]

Awards

[edit]

Fields was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2013.[12]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Dwayne Fields

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia

Dwayne Fields FRGS (born 1982) is a Jamaican-born British explorer, adventurer, television presenter, and the Chief Scout of the United Kingdom since 2024.
Born in Jamaica and relocating to inner-city London at age six, Fields overcame experiences with knife and gun crime by pursuing outdoor challenges, culminating in his 2010 expedition where he became the first black British person to ski over 400 nautical miles to the Magnetic North Pole. As a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, he has featured on programs such as Countryfile and advocates for youth access to nature through the Scouts and his co-founded WeTwo Foundation, which organizes expeditions including to Antarctica for underprivileged young people. Fields continues to undertake polar ventures, such as planned traverses in Antarctica, while promoting resilience and environmental engagement in urban communities.

Early Life

Childhood in Jamaica and Immigration to the United Kingdom

Dwayne Fields was born in in October 1982. Raised initially by his great-grandmother in a rural setting, he spent his early childhood immersed in natural surroundings, frequently exploring forests and enjoying unstructured outdoor play without supervision for extended periods. At age six, Fields immigrated to the , relocating to join his mother in , an inner-city area of . This move occurred around 1988, transitioning him from in rural Jamaican infant schools to schooling in the UK, beginning at an institution in . The relocation highlighted stark environmental and cultural contrasts: from Jamaica's verdant, permissive landscapes fostering independent engagement to London's densely built urban environment, characterized by limited green spaces and a structured, concrete-dominated daily life. Fields has described the shift as moving from a of natural abundance to one of confinement, altering his immediate access to outdoor freedoms he had known previously.

Urban Challenges and Personal Trauma in London

Upon arriving in London at age six, Fields grew up in the inner-city neighborhoods of and Hackney, areas marked by high levels of youth violence and . These environments exposed him to pervasive knife crime from as early as age ten, fostering a climate of constant vigilance amid gang-related tensions and territorial disputes between estates. At age 19, Fields was stabbed twice—once in the lower stomach and once in the upper chest—during an altercation in while assisting with a friend's project; attackers from a neighboring estate wielded , which struck his second rib and narrowly missed vital organs, leading to substantial blood loss. Around age 20, he experienced after his estranged mother instructed him to leave home, forcing him to walk over ten miles nightly between and to avoid street dangers, and occasionally sleep in Underground carriages or on buses while concealing his circumstances from peers due to shame. Two years later, at age 21, Fields confronted thieves who had stolen a he and his brother had rebuilt in Hackney; one assailant pointed a at him from 15 feet away, but it misfired twice, with bullets ejecting sideways, after which associates intervened to prevent further attempts. These incidents, occurring in quick succession, exemplified the cyclical risks of retaliation in such settings, where victims often escalated into perpetrators amid unchecked territorial violence. Despite immersion in peer groups influenced by drugs and gang activities—including associates handling large quantities of weed and cocaine—Fields refrained from carrying weapons, robbing others, or seeking revenge, attributing this restraint to personal resolve rather than external intervention at the time. The inner-city dynamics, characterized by crowded estates and limited opportunities, intensified these pressures, yet Fields' experiences as a repeated victim underscored how proximity to crime could perpetuate adversity without deterministic outcomes for individual agency.

Discovery of Outdoor Pursuits as a Coping Mechanism

Following the near-fatal shooting incident in 2003, when Fields was 21 and retrieving his stolen on a council estate, he experienced a profound shift toward as a means of processing trauma and regaining control. The assailant's misfired at close range, an event that prompted Fields to drive to nearby woodlands where he found immediate amid the trees, contrasting sharply with the urban violence of his Hackney upbringing. This voluntary immersion marked his conscious pivot to outdoor activities as a self-initiated , emphasizing personal agency over reliance on external support systems, as he later reflected that "saved my life, 100 percent." Fields' early engagement with the Scout movement, beginning shortly after his immigration to the UK at age six around 1988, laid foundational skills that facilitated this recovery. Introduced by a school friend, offered an accessible escape from inner-city pressures, teaching practical abilities such as , basic techniques, and through structured outdoor sessions. These experiences fostered an initial discipline and exploration mindset, which Fields credits with building self-worth and resilience from a young age, including forming enduring friendships that reinforced positive alternatives to street influences. The integration of scouting principles with post-trauma outdoor pursuits yielded tangible outcomes, including diminished susceptibility to retaliatory cycles of and involvement. By channeling energies into challenges like hill walking and peak ascents—activities pursued independently rather than through formal programs—Fields developed a structured routine that imposed physical and mental , effectively redirecting impulses from numbness to purposeful action. This self-directed approach not only mitigated ongoing urban risks but also cultivated a proactive resilience, as evidenced by his avoidance of retribution following the shooting, guided by scout-instilled values of and restraint.

Exploration and Adventure Career

Entry into Expeditions and Skill Development

Following experiences of urban violence, including a and a 2005 gun incident in , Fields sought solace in outdoor environments as a means of personal escape and resilience-building. He began frequenting spaces like and , drawing on childhood memories of rural to reconnect with nature and cultivate self-reliance amid ongoing threats from gang activity. This shift emphasized practical independence, rooted in the need to navigate dangers without reliance on external support, fostering a that equated pursuits with mastery. Fields developed foundational skills through self-directed training during his university years, focusing on endurance and wilderness basics without formal instruction. He conducted nighttime sessions hauling tires across to simulate polar loads, alongside long-distance runs from to , and multi-hour walks with 10-15 kg backpacks to enhance physical and mental stamina. These methods, often performed in secrecy to evade ridicule from peers who viewed such ambitions as impractical, built core competencies in load-bearing, , and sustained effort under duress. Early applications included completing the Three Peaks Challenge—scaling , , and [Ben Nevis](/page/Ben Nevis) within 24 hours—and exploratory time in forests like Hurtwood, which honed terrain adaptation and basic techniques. A post-2005 charity run supporting Mothers Against Guns further integrated physical preparation with purpose-driven outdoor activity, bridging personal trauma recovery to structured skill progression. Self-funding via loans and savings underscored his commitment to autonomous development, laying groundwork for advanced expedition readiness.

Magnetic North Pole Trek (2010)

In April 2010, Fields embarked on an unsupported ski trek from Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada, covering over 400 nautical miles across the frozen to the Magnetic North Pole. The expedition lasted 22 days, concluding in May, during which the team navigated shifting , open leads of water, and variable weather patterns inherent to high spring conditions. Logistical demands included hauling sledges weighing up to 200 pounds each, precise GPS-dependent route-finding to avoid pressure ridges and polynyas, and self-reliant resupply without external support, amplifying risks of , , and equipment failure in an environment where visibility could drop to near zero amid whiteout blizzards. The physical toll was compounded by prolonged exposure to sub-zero temperatures, where skin exposure led to immediate tingling sensations from the cold, demanding constant vigilance over clothing layers, fuel management for stoves, and calorie intake exceeding 6,000 per day to sustain energy for 10-15 hour daily marches. Fields later recounted operational errors, such as suboptimal gear choices and route decisions, which tested team cohesion and individual resilience amid the isolation of vast ice floes devoid of landmarks. This self-imposed ordeal directly stemmed from Fields' earlier encounters with gang-related violence and personal loss in London's urban settings, where he channeled unresolved trauma from knife crime survival into deliberate tests of endurance, viewing the trek as a tangible counter to cycles of street-level aggression rather than abstract inspiration. Upon reaching the Magnetic North Pole on May 2010, Fields became the first Black Briton to complete the journey on foot, marking only the second instance of a Black individual achieving a expedition after Matthew Henson's 1909 traverse with Robert Peary's team to the Geographic . The feat underscored the causal role of targeted physical discipline in redirecting personal adversity, as Fields had no prior institutional backing but relied on incremental skill-building to execute the unassisted crossing.

Additional Polar and Wilderness Expeditions

Following his 2010 Magnetic North Pole expedition, Fields participated in additional polar ventures, including a 2022 expedition to organized through the #WeTwo Foundation, which he co-founded with adventurer Phoebe Smith. This initiative transported a group of underprivileged young people aboard a chartered expedition ship to explore the Antarctic marine environment and examine the effects of rising temperatures on local ecosystems. The trip, planned as early as , aimed to provide participants with direct exposure to extreme environments, fostering resilience and environmental awareness among urban youth typically excluded from such opportunities. Fields has also undertaken non-polar wilderness expeditions, such as traversing the jungles of and circumnavigating , extending his pattern of physical challenges in remote terrains. These efforts consolidated his expertise in and , serving as platforms to test personal limits and demonstrate the accessibility of outdoor pursuits beyond elite circles. While ambitious plans for unsupported treks, including a proposed 750-mile route from to the with Smith, were announced around 2019, no verified completion of such overland polar traverses post-2010 has been documented.

Media and Broadcasting Involvement

Television Presenting Roles

Fields entered television presenting in the years following his 2010 Magnetic North Pole expedition, leveraging his expedition experience to host adventure and survival-focused programs on networks. In 2023, he co-hosted the Channel 5 series Endurance: Race to the Pole alongside , which documented a modern recreation of historical polar journeys across terrain, earning a for factual series. That same year, Fields fronted The 7 Toughest Days, a Disney+ and production in which he was inserted into remote, extreme environments—such as and high-altitude deserts—to demonstrate survival techniques and physical limits under duress, with each episode structured around seven sequential challenges. He has contributed presenting segments to nature programs, including , where he led field reports on outdoor activities and conservation efforts, and , focusing on wildlife observation and environmental storytelling. In 2025, Fields co-presented Expedition: Search for the Nile on Channel 5 with Ben Fogle, tracing the historical exploration of Africa's longest river through rugged terrains and historical reenactments. These roles emphasize hands-on demonstrations of resilience in natural settings, drawing on Fields' firsthand expertise rather than studio-based commentary.

Public Speaking and Motivational Engagements

Fields has established himself as a , delivering talks centered on themes of personal resilience forged through adversity and the role of outdoor pursuits in cultivating and individual agency. His presentations draw directly from empirical experiences, such as navigating urban trauma via challenges, to underscore causal mechanisms linking deliberate exposure to hardship with psychological and physical fortitude, rather than relying on external validations or . In March 2015, Fields delivered a TEDxSquareMile titled "The power of an idea," in which he recounted how conceptual shifts propelled his expeditions, emphasizing the primacy of internal over circumstantial barriers in achieving exploratory feats like the 2010 Magnetic North Pole trek. This talk, viewed over thousands of times on platforms like , exemplifies his approach to motivational discourse by prioritizing first-hand causal narratives over abstracted ideals. Fields has spoken at events hosted by the Royal Geographical Society, including symposia and explore weekends, where he addresses and adventure's capacity to instill through unmediated encounters with nature's rigors. These engagements target professional and academic audiences, focusing on practical insights into resilience-building via expeditions, with Fields advocating for direct immersion in outdoor environments as a verifiable to sedentary or urban-induced . His extends to broader motivational circuits, where he promotes exploration as a tool for personal empowerment, evidenced by his representation through specialized speaker bureaus that book him for corporate and educational sessions on overcoming obstacles.

Scouting Leadership

Early Engagement with the Scout Movement

Fields joined the Scout Movement as a in , , after being taken to a meeting by chance by his friend's mother, an encounter he described as accidental since he had no prior knowledge of Scouting's values or activities. This involvement came amid his experiences as a victim of and crime in inner-city , where he survived a and an attempted during his youth, navigating an environment marked by violence and without himself engaging in retaliation or criminal acts like carrying weapons. Through , Fields gained practical skills, a strengthened sense of self-belief, and a supportive that provided an alternative to the influences of peers drawn toward drugs and , enabling him to channel energies away from urban adversity toward structured group activities. These early group experiences emphasized outdoor pursuits and , laying foundational elements of by teaching resilience and discipline in a setting that contrasted sharply with his prior challenges, without which he credited for steering him clear of deeper trouble.

Appointment and Role as UK Chief Scout (2024)

Dwayne Fields was appointed as the 11th Chief Scout of on 5 September 2024, succeeding , who had served in the role since 2009 after three five-year terms. The appointment was announced by the organization, citing Fields' alignment with Scouting's core values of commitment, adventure, and support for young people as key factors in his selection to lead the movement. As Chief Scout, Fields oversees a network of approximately 500,000 young members and adult volunteers across the United Kingdom, serving as the public figurehead and inspirational leader to promote Scouting's mission of character development through practical activities and outdoor experiences. In his initial statements following the appointment, Fields highlighted the role's focus on fostering inclusivity, describing the Scouts as "a family for absolutely anyone" while emphasizing experiential learning to build resilience and skills. During his first year in office, through September 2025, Fields has prioritized initiatives to encourage greater participation in outdoor pursuits, championing hands-on skills training as essential for youth development amid urban challenges. This approach aligns with Scouting's traditional emphasis on adventure and , with Fields advocating for programs that equip participants with tangible abilities rather than abstract discussions. His leadership has included public engagements to highlight these priorities, drawing on the organization's ceremonies and volunteer networks to sustain momentum in membership and activity levels.

Awards and Honors

Key Recognitions and Fellowships

Dwayne Fields is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), an honor granted to individuals demonstrating significant contributions to geographical science and through verified fieldwork and dissemination of knowledge. His fellowship underscores scholarly validation of his polar expeditions, distinguishing it from broader public accolades by emphasizing empirical documentation of routes, environmental data, and navigational challenges in remote terrains. On June 4, 2018, Fields received the Geographical Award from the Royal Geographical Society, presented by its director Professor Joe Smith, in recognition of his efforts to promote geographical understanding via adventure and media. This recognition highlights the society's endorsement of his role in bridging exploratory practice with educational outreach, grounded in the verifiability of his documented journeys rather than anecdotal claims.

Civic and Professional Accolades

In 2013, Fields received the of , the corporation's highest ceremonial honor, bestowed by the in recognition of his voluntary efforts to inspire urban from disadvantaged backgrounds to engage in outdoor adventure and exploration activities. This distinction, historically granted for exceptional public service or contributions benefiting 's citizens, highlighted Fields' practical initiatives in providing experiential opportunities to inner-city children, fostering skills in resilience and through wilderness challenges. No further civic awards specifically tied to his for access to adventure have been documented in institutional records, emphasizing the merit-based nature of such recognitions over broader societal symbolism.

Advocacy and Philosophical Outlook

Promotion of Self-Reliance Through Adventure

Dwayne Fields has promoted among urban youth by organizing outdoor expeditions that emphasize personal discipline and resilience as mechanisms to disrupt cycles of and dependency. Through co-founding the #WeTwo Foundation in collaboration with explorer Phoebe Smith, Fields targets underprivileged young people with life-changing adventures designed to build independence via challenging natural environments. The foundation's initiatives, such as the Street to Peak program, involve leading at-risk participants on climbs like , where participants confront physical and mental barriers to foster self-mastery. These efforts underscore a causal link between structured adventure and reduced propensity for urban violence, as Fields argues that mastering outdoor challenges instills discipline and confidence, diminishing reliance on aggressive peer dynamics for validation. In one documented case, a young participant in a expedition shifted from familial skepticism to personal pride, altering perceptions within his support network. Similarly, a female participant previously entangled in legal issues and educational disruption acquired skills during an expedition, leading to employment and sustained behavioral change. Fields extends this approach through partnerships like the Challenge Network, facilitating activities such as the Three Peaks Challenge and river crossings for inner-city youth, which level socioeconomic differences and promote teamwork as pathways to individual empowerment. In 2022, the #WeTwo Foundation facilitated an expedition to for underprivileged youth, exposing them to polar environments to cultivate resilience against adversity. Fields' methodology prioritizes incremental skill-building—starting with accessible outdoor tasks to counter urban isolation—evidenced by participants reporting diminished stress and violent tendencies through nature's calming influence and achievement of self-set goals. These programs, independent of formal structures, have demonstrably equipped dozens of at-risk individuals with tools for , as tracked through post-expedition personal transformations rather than aggregated metrics.

Perspectives on Youth Resilience and Urban Adversity

Fields has advocated for youth to cultivate resilience by prioritizing personal choice and structured activities over succumbing to or cycles of retaliatory in urban settings. Drawing from his experience of being shot at age 21 on a London council estate, he credits with providing the confidence to reject demands for , stating, "Scouting saved me" by instilling values that enabled him to respond with restraint rather than escalation. This approach emphasizes empirical self-mastery—choosing "the right thing to do" despite environmental pressures—over narratives attributing hardship solely to external circumstances. In critiquing urban environments, Fields highlights disincentives to self-improvement, such as limited access to and pervasive exclusion, which contrast with his rural Jamaican childhood where outdoor freedom fostered innate exploration. He argues that inner-city often lack opportunities for skill-building pursuits, leading to diminished confidence and higher vulnerability to adversity, yet maintains that programs like can counteract this by promoting teamwork, outdoor competence, and a sense of belonging accessible to all. Fields observes that contemporary demonstrate greater coping capacity than prior generations amid societal challenges, provided they witness peers modeling positive agency and capability in saying no to destructive paths. Fields' perspectives privilege individual resilience and causal agency, informed by his progression from and to , without evidence of major controversies surrounding his narrative. While some might view this emphasis on as overly individualistic amid systemic urban barriers, his aligns with Scouting's track record of empowering through verifiable acquisition rather than dependency on institutional fixes.

References

  1. https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/our-people/chief-scout/
  2. http://www.jowandermanagement.com/clients/dwaynefields.php
  3. https://dwayne-fields.com/dwaynes-story/
  4. https://www.ukaht.org/latest-news/2023/the-white-continent-with-polar-explorer-dwayne-fields/
  5. https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/09/07/profile-dwayne-fields-britains-new-chief-scout
  6. https://www.rgs.org/exploration/rgs-explore-weekend/speakers/dwayne-fields
  7. https://dwayne-fields.com/
  8. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdyxm52ep5o
  9. https://www.facebook.com/DwayneFieldsAdventurer/
  10. https://redefiningimpossible.co.uk/team/
  11. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19549239
  12. https://absolutely-education.co.uk/making-of-me-dwayne-fields/
  13. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/28/dwayne-fields-first-black-briton-north-pole-polar-bear-young-people
  14. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/who-adventurer-dwayne-fields-uk-chief-scout-bear-grylls-b1180466.html
  15. https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/dwayne-fields-adventurer-explorer-survival
  16. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/30539250/chief-scout-dwayne-fields-help-kids-respect-life/
  17. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/society/article/dwayne-fields-chief-scout-shot-homeless-knife-crime-7dh0gcrxj
  18. https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/i-stabbed-shot-growing-up-22332733
  19. https://www.itv.com/news/2024-09-06/adventurer-who-survived-stabbing-and-life-of-inner-city-crime-to-lead-scouts
  20. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyn1wp0dl4o
  21. https://www.chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/dwayne-fields/
  22. https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/theredbulletin/dwayne-fields-interview
  23. https://www.redbull.com/za-en/dwayne-fields-adventurer-explorer-survival
  24. https://nobarriersusa.org/podcast/interview-with-dwayne-fields/
  25. https://gb.readly.com/magazines/country-living-uk/2020-10-28/5f930907a3b2424488f73526
  26. https://teamwetwo.com/about-us/
  27. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activity-and-adventure/Dwayne-Fields-adventurer-profile/
  28. https://face2faceafrica.com/article/dwayne-fields-the-second-black-person-to-take-an-expedition-to-the-north-pole
  29. https://www.jowandermanagement.com/clients/dwaynefields.php
  30. https://oculi-mundi.com/dwayne-fields
  31. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/a-life-in-the-day-interview-the-adventurer-dwayne-fields-on-being-stabbed-and-the-great-outdoors-3frm8sr7g
  32. https://www.britishscoutingoverseas.org.uk/adventurer-dwayne-fields-becomes-new-uk-chief-scout
  33. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/30301625/dwayne-fields-who-chief-scout/
  34. https://www.getapeptalk.com/experts/dwayne-fields-speaker
  35. https://next-episode.net/person/dwayne-fields
  36. https://www.bathscouts.org/news/article/adventurer-dwayne-fields-becomes-new-uk-chief-scout
  37. https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dwayne-fields/
  38. https://www.facebook.com/channel5uk/videos/ben-fogle-and-dwayne-fields-are-back-expedition-search-for-the-nile/972170738188644/
  39. https://thespeakersagency.com/speakers/dwayne-fields/
  40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PLb8CT0Njo
  41. https://champions-speakers.co.uk/speaker-agent/dwayne-fields
  42. https://www.specialistspeakers.com/?p=12842
  43. https://www.canopyandstars.co.uk/a-life-more-wild-podcast/series-five/episode-1-dwayne-fields/
  44. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bear-grylls-scouts-new-chief-dwayne-fields-london-group-stabbing-b1180420.html
  45. https://sesscouts.org.uk/adventurer-dwayne-fields-becomes-new-uk-chief-scout/
  46. https://www.bigissue.com/life/dwayne-fields-uk-chief-scout-interview-young-people/
  47. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/26/chief-scout-dwayne-fields-interview/
  48. https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2024/september/dwayne-fields-becomes-new-uk-chief-scout/
  49. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd73lze14yxo
  50. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/sep/05/dwayne-fields-named-uk-chief-scout
  51. https://scoutscymru.org.uk/news/welsh-scouts-take-part-in-historic-investiture-for-new-chief-scout-dwayne-fields/
  52. https://dwayne-fields.com/get-inspired/
  53. https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/22946253.polar-explorer-hackney-awarded-freedom-city-london-voluntary-work/
  54. https://www.advnture.com/features/transformative-power-of-outdoors
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.