WHO IS HE
Childhood
I had a very conflicted childhood due to severe lack of identity through racial and discrimination, bullying and the lack of a positive role model. Over time this caused deep depression and anxiety, which led to suicide attempts at an early age.
Growing up in the urban outskirts of the Southwest of London and due to my environment, I found myself descending on the wrong path, leading to being embedded in the local gang culture. Luckily through my mother's passion to travel and bring me along, Deon was able to be exposed to new landscapes.
Acquiring academic education in school was not my forte in my early years, except for getting into trouble. Learning has always been a difficult endeavor for me, and this continues to be a challenge. After I was diagnosed with Dyslexia this enabled me to adopt an unorthodox approach to learning.
Because of this I have always enjoyed the outdoors and exploring new challenges. Unfortunately, I was unable to indulge in this passion until late. I now view this project as the ultimate opportunity to pass on this love for the great outdoors to those who have yet to discover it, which I have begun. This journey is self-funded, and I truly see this as an amazing opportunity to raise awareness and empower young people.
Serving my country
I joined the British Armed Forces in May of 2015 where I had gone into phase one training. This drove me to being resilient but most of all reinstalled my love for the outdoors. I had the opportunity to travel the world and enjoyed some fantastic roles that a lot of people my not get to experience.
After eight years I had decided to leave in pursuit of growing and scaling up the True North Project. I felt it was time as I knew there was a lot of work to be done in creating outdoor opportunities for others.
The drive
I discovered my passion for the outdoors in 2019, which was when I realized that knowing your "true north" will have a positive impact on one's mental and physical health. The outdoor experience is essential to this discovery because it provides an opportunity to learn more about oneself. This knowledge will help others achieve greater well-being overall.
During the beginning of the project my partner and I was blessed, welcoming our baby girl to the world in July 2022. This ultimately ignited my will to strive in creating a healthy environment for our daughter through my love for the outdoors. I believe that it is important to demonstrate that nature can bring a positive balance to the family while empowering her and overall ground her.
To listen to Undercurrent Stories.
Hosted by Bob this was a great session on his podcast where we spoke more about the Thens, the Hows, and the Whys, from my prospective of why exploration means so much to me.