Meet Dave McGuire: the founder of Rite of Passage and The McGuire Programme.
Meet Dave McGuire: the founder of Rite of Passage and The McGuire Programme.
In the early 1980s, Dave McGuire—a psychiatric technician at the time—noticed the ineffectiveness of conventional treatments, such as seclusion and psychotropic medication, for the kids at the hospital where he worked. He believed a strengths-based approach incorporating physical activity and positive socialization would be a better alternative. This belief led to the birth of the ‘Rite of Passage’.
Rite of Passage and Dave’s vision started in a small group home in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Here, kids participated in a unique form of group therapy featuring tennis, inspiring the house’s name, “Wimbledon House.” While the program initially focused on tennis, it soon expanded to include skiing and bike racing. These activities taught kids to appreciate and care for high-quality equipment, which translated into taking better care of themselves and fostering positive and caring relationships.
After founding Rite of Passage, Dave McGuire went on to establish The McGuire Programme – Beyond Stuttering in 1994, dedicated to helping people overcome their stutters through programs offered worldwide. We are grateful for Dave’s unwavering passion for helping others and the significant impact it has had on nearly 70,000 kids since the program’s inception 40 years ago. Thank you, Dave, and congratulations on the wonderful work you continue to do each day to help others!
#ImpactfulIndividual #Founder #MissionDriven #MakeADifference
