Sir Graeme Dingle joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story
Sir Graeme talks about the damaging effects of family violence and how this has led to poor outcomes for children and young people in New Zealand.
‘I think one of the main issues in New Zealand is that we are quite a violent people. Kids who experience violence when they are young, like lots of shouting in the house or violence can often to turn out difficult characters when they become adults and ironically they can be violent as well.’
Graeme points to a condition called ACE which stands for adverse childhood experience, a condition that in part motivated him to want to do something and help reverse the damage done to young minds.
In 1993 after returning from a successful circumnavigation of the artic Graeme and his wife Jo-Anne Wilkinson took action and formed the Graeme Dingle Foundation. Set-up to improve outcomes for young people they both pledged to positively impact on New Zealand’s negative youth statistics using the power of self-efficacy.
Graeme, a renowned outdoor adventurer and mountaineer, enlisted the help of an impressive group of leading New Zealanders to lend a hand including the late Sir Edmund Hilary (a close friend) who joined the initial Board of Trustees. The charity continues to play a significant role in helping young people overcome adversity to reach their full potential. Since formation in 1995 they have helped over 300,000 young people.
Sir Graeme’s many accolades include an MBE for services to outdoor pursuits as well as entry to the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Sport & Recreation. He has published 11 books, his autobiography Dingle: Discovering the Sense of Adventure” winning the Montana Book Award in 2000
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