Our Story
“We started out as three rather strange and individual human beings (one professor, one crown prince and one natural entrepreneur) who met through the network of Young Global Leaders.
We thought we were really cool and figured out that dignity was a surprisingly good tool to communicate to kids about who they are and who they might aspire to be.
Our spouses did not think we were cool enough to pull this off. But we went and did it anyway.
Luckily also others believed in the idea, and because of their hard work the concept spread. Now we have more than 40 Country Chairs with thousands of volunteers around the world. We have six organizational partners. They incorporate our concept and activities into their own organizations.
Thanks to dedication of all these awesome people we have reached more than 1 million kids to date.
This has been possible for one reason and one reason only:
Our Dignity Days work.
That is why people want to volunteer again, and ask their friends to do the same. And organizations want to use our tools over and over.
Dignity just happens to rock!”
Pekka, Haakon and John
Co-Founders
Who are we again?
We are an autonomous, non-profit, non-critism and non-partisan crew of dudes and dudettes. We wish to inspire, commend and encourage people to be awesome to themselves and to each others.
We believe in taking young people seriously by engaging and enabling conversations on dignity.
Why dignity?
We believe every human being has a right to lead a dignified life, and that we all have a common responsibility, and opportunity, to strengthen the dignity of others. The magic part is that by doing this, you at the same time enhance your own dignity.
We believe that dignity should the foundation for human interaction.
We believe that human souls search for their better selves, and that the principle of dignity can be a tool for finding just that. For doing just so.
We believe the idea of dignity encourages us to hear the beating of our hearts.
Dignity Principles
We have developed five dignity principles that guide our work:
- Every human being has the right to lead a dignified life.
- A dignified life means having the opportunity to fulfill one’s potential, which requires an adequate level of health care, education, income and security.
- Dignity means having the freedom to make the decisions governing one’s own life, and to have this right respected by others.
- Dignity should be the basic guiding principle for all actions.
- Ultimately, our own dignity is interdependent with the dignity of others.
Dignity Day
We have developed a two-hour package for youth to talk about values that we call Dignity Day.
During these sessions we ask each other to tell our own dignity stories so that we can make values relevant to our everyday lives.
Dignity stories are a way of making values relevant.
Participants share their own dignity stories to help shape their understanding for our common humanity.
Dignity works for everyone. For children, youth and adults alike. It works in our everyday life and as a universal principle. Dignity unites us.
The third Wednesday in October we do this all around the world. We call it Global Dignity Day.
Dignity Action
We believe in Action, so we encourage everyone who has been through our program to take action within the next three months. The day has inspired people to do just that.
Here are some examples: A dignity action can be walking your granma’s dog, to give someone who needs it a long hug. It can be standing up to inequality through The global citizenz project, or to join an humanitarian organization.
