The UK’s new scout chief has credited the group for providing him with a place to “belong” after he survived a stabbing and an attempted shooting during his youth.
Explorer and presenter Dwayne Fields, 41, told the BBC’s Today Programme that attending Scouts helped him avoid growing up “on the wrong side of the tracks”.
Mr Fields, the first black Briton to reach the North Pole, said he wanted to use his tenure to show Scouts is “a family for absolutely anyone”.
He also said he feared many traditional outdoor skills were “at risk” and that he hoped to see membership to the group grow.
Mr Fields told the BBC that inner-city London was violent and robberies were commonplace when he was young.
“I was stabbed, I was a victim of street violence, I’d never carried a knife with malice, I’ve never carried any instruments with malice, and I suffered a stabbing incident just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he added.
Born in Jamaica, Mr Fields came to the UK aged six and grew up in east and north London.
According to reports, he was stabbed twice when he was 19 after an altercation outside a nightclub.
At 21, he says he had a gun pointed at him and only survived because the weapon jammed.
Mr Fields first attended a Scouts meeting in Palmers Green, north London, when he was seven, and said: “I never thought I belonged anywhere until the moment I walked into that hut.”
In 2010, he made his expedition to the North Pole, and has since presented programmes for Channel 5, Disney+ and National Geographic.
“To be given this role as chief scout, to me it’s pride of place, really,” he said.
“There are a lot of groups and communities who still think that maybe scouting isn’t for them and I’m hoping that they’ll look at me and say, ‘Well, actually, I have something in common with that guy – he grew up where I grew up, he looks like me. If scouting is for him, it’s for me as well.'”
Writing for the BBC in 2012, Mr Fields said wanted to encourage inner-city teenagers to venture into the countryside as a way of “opening their worlds” and “unlocking their potential”.
“The countryside opens you up to a different way of living,” he said.
“You’re away from trouble, away from your peers and the pressures of others. Living out in the wilderness you cannot survive on your own, you have to work as a team.
“It’s these kind of skills – and others – that would have such a profound impact on teenagers’ outlook on life.”
Mr Fields will succeed Bear Grylls, who has served in the role since 2009.
Founded in 1910 by Lord Baden-Powell, the Scouts now have a membership of more than 500,000 young people and adult volunteers.
The chief scout is appointed for a five-year term but can stay on for longer, with Mr Fields the 11th person to hold the title.
He said he also wanted to use his time in the role to focus on “growth and bringing more volunteers on-board”.
“The more we get more young people to go outside and be active in the outdoors and spend time in nature, in our natural spaces, the more they’ll appreciate it and want to safeguard it going forward,” he said.
Carl Hankinson, UK chief volunteer at the Scouts, said: “I’m so excited to welcome Dwayne Fields as chief scout.
“He champions the sense of belonging Scouts gives young people. He is able to reach across generations, to further expand reach across all communities.”
