Our Heroes | Deuce Sneakers

Shining a light on those who are dedicated to empowering and uplifting the youth of New Zealand, the Young Hearts Project is the stitch connecting three giving partners that enable young people all throughout New Zealand to overcome life’s challenges.

Over the past 8 years, we’ve raised $1.8 million through the sale of Deuce sneakers, with $2 from every pair donated to this project.

The Graeme Dingle Foundation, Youthline, and Great Potentials are organisations committed to supporting young people and providing them with opportunities and support. Now, it’s their turn to be uplifted.

Join us in celebrating the people devoted to empowerment, our Deuce heroes.

Since 1995, The Graeme Dingle Foundation has been a leader in positive child and youth development, currently working with over 28,000 young New Zealanders.

Through The Young Hearts Project, Deuce has been able to directly support their Kiwi Can programme, designed to build resilience, respect and integrity in our young people.

Meet Val and Christian:

Our Heroes, Val and Christian, are trained Kiwi Can leaders who devote their time to teaching our tamariki the values and life skills they need to overcome obstacles in life.

We asked them about the Graeme Dingle Foundation values, what a usual day looks like in their roles and what their best advice is.

For over 50 years, Youthline have been providing support to New Zealand youth, including offering a free Helpline service, youth mentoring, free counselling sessions and programmes in schools.

The Young Hearts Project has been proudly supporting Youthline since 2014, directly supporting a service for 10-25 years olds to have testing, prescriptions and general health check-ups available free of charge.

Meet Simran and Finnbar:

Simran is a Youthline Counsellor and Mentor who provides support to New Zealand youth through Youthline's free Helpline service, and also trains others to become counsellors as well. Like Simran, Finnbar is also a Youthline Counsellor, however, he also serves as a committee member on the Youthline Advisory Board.

We asked them more about Youthline, what they love about their role and what their best piece of advice and personal mottos are.

Over 30 years ago, the Great Potentials Foundation was founded to break a cycle of disadvantage and guide New Zealanders toward a brighter future. Working with low-income New Zealand communities, Great Potentials are helping to unleash the potential of children, young people and families through education and parental support.

With the help of the Young Hearts Project, we have been able to support the Great Potentials MATES Junior programme, which supports intermediate students making the transition to secondary school by providing academic support, teaching life skills and helping kids build meaningful relationships.

Meet Hester and Jessica:

Our Heroes Hester and Jessica are Coordinators within the MATES Junior programme, both passionate about their role in guiding and empowering our young people.

We asked them about the MATES Junior programme, what they love about their roles and what a day in their role looks like.