Secondary Catalogue

Lindsay (Eekwol) grew up in the First Nations community. She experienced an unforgiving world of drugs, alcohol and violence, within her family. As a child, she lived in fear while her parents and their friends had endless parties that often broke out in fights. As she grew up in this environment, she soon developed into an abuser of drugs and alcohol herself. Falling victim to blackouts and on one occasion she almost died one night lying unconscious on the highway. This seminal moment caused her devoted sister to give up on her - unless she changed her ways. For the first time in her life, she listened, and the path of being clean and sober led to a successful solo female aboriginal hip hop artist. Show Less

Eleanor had a hard time fitting in. She was severely bullied through elementary school. High school wasn’t any different but this time it got a lot worse as she became very depressed and developed paralysing anxiety to the point where she couldn’t breathe. It was physical pain for her. She wouldn’t be able to enter a room full of people nor could she be touched. Life was unbearable. It took time, support and focus but with therapy and medication, Eleanor blossomed into a happy young woman that now studies psychology in University and works in an institution assisting troubled youth. Show Less

Poverty drugs, violence, abuse, family death….all of which Demitrius experienced as a child and young teenager. He became a great salesman. The only problem is he sold drugs on the street landing him in and out of jail. What else you can you do when you live in such poverty? His grandmother planted a thought in his head, “if you could use the focused energy you have in selling drugs and channel into something good, you will be unstoppable”. Taking her advice, he not only turned his life around but is now saving so many others from the hardships that he endured as a teenager. He is a true inspiration to so many and his goal is to reach a billion People. Show Less

Lydia’s life as a child was filled with family dysfunction, drugs, abuse and the death of her mother. She ended up in the foster care system before the age of 10 and would endure moving between 36 different foster homes. Lydia was left with a lack of identity, belonging, and self worth. The longing of her family and her loneliness created a cycle of destruction or “acting out”. Nothing or no one could fill the void she felt. Somehow, she found an incredible strength to turn her life around. Living out of a car, she put herself through school and became determined to have her own family, providing a loving home for her two children, something she never had. Show Less

At the age of 13, a boy approached Cristina asking her to be his girlfriend. She declined the boy's offer and he became angry, threatening that she would regret it. One day, Cristina came to school and everyone watched her every move, whispering in ears and laughing. She felt something was terribly wrong. She inquired from a friend that told her this boy had circulated a nude photo online saying that it was Cristina although the person’s face was not seen. She was mortified and ran home. She thought that her parents, the school, or at least the authorities would be able to put a quick stop to it, but she was wrong. This devastation turned her into a tormented young woman who could not escape the rumours for seven years. It destroyed her life as a teenager, broke her spirit, and ultimately made her not want to live life any more. Show Less

At the age of 13, Sterling was a cheerleader and cross country runner. One day her uncle commented that she was getting rolls around her belly. Sterling became obsessed about her weight. She stopped eating and when she did, purging was the option. She was losing weight beyond what was normal while still competing and running until the point where she mutilated herself and ending up in an institution. Sterling was 170 cm and weighed 43 kg. Her body started to shut down. She stopped menstruating and the doctors warned her that she may never be able to have children. Her miraculous recovery is truly an inspiring story to all youth. The moral of this story? 'One small unkind word can have devastating effects on another persons life.' Show Less

At the age of 14, following a quarrel with a friend of hers from school, Brittany turned to her mother for comfort. Instead, her mother lashed at her calling her selfish. From that day on, Brittney began to internalise her feelings. Her insecurities grew and she turned to drugs and alcohol. At a party with friends from school, her excessive drinking led to sexual abuse. This made things worse. She began to engage in self-harm practice, cutting her arms regularly. The more depressed she got, the worse the self-inflicted harm became until she was hospitalised for it. Show Less

As a child and teenager, Michelle endured a series of events that was nothing short of soul crushing. She faced sexual abuse as a child and kept it a secret over the years. At the age of sixteen she acquired a brain disease that rendered her blind. Her so-called friends bullied her at school. She fell into a deep depression and turned to drugs, alcohol, and self-harm to numb her pain but nothing seemed to help. She felt her only option was suicide. Thankfully a miraculous turn of events saved her life and now this remarkable young woman has overcome her disability and adversity with such positive energy that it’s become infectious and humbling to all that know and love her. Show Less

You can become addicted to just about anything. It becomes a serious problem when it takes you away from the things you normally do. Some people have a predisposition to addiction and Will’ s story shows that anyone can fall dangerously into addiction. It started with video games addiction which was the beginning of the slippery slope that almost cost him his life. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a professional baseball play. He could never imagine that at the age of 17 he would be living on the streets addicted to crack cocaine and near death. His remarkable story now brings so much hope to those that struggle with addiction and he now dedicates his life to helping Youth. Show Less

As far back as David could remember, he did not identify with being a little girl. He wished he were a boy. Depression and anxiety set in and it just got worse until puberty hit and he could no longer deal with it. He told his parents that he identified as a boy, and he couldn’t pretend any longer. The moment he changed his name to David and decided live openly as a male, life started making sense. Happiness set in like he had never experienced and with his parents’ and sister’s support, David finally found comfort. Show Less

When reaching puberty at the age of 12, Joey was coming to the realisation that that he was gay. Within his school and community, Joey felt that he was the only gay teenager. This terrified him. He confided in a 'friend' who soon spread the word around school. Joey became the target of bullying and ridicule. Then it happened at home. His father could not accept that his son was gay and abandoned the family. Soon after, his mother abandoned him as well leaving him to live with his 'unaccepting' grandparents. He was alone in the world. The only way out, so he thought, was to take his own life. This is Joey’s heartbreaking story. Show Less

Eileen’s family emigrated from China to North America to create an new life for their children. The Chinese family culture and dynamics were important in the household. Eileen found it difficult to fit in with her peers and she was heavily relied upon at home for chores. She was also pushed hard to excel at school and placed in a school for advanced education. Unfortunately at a young age, she was sexually molested and kept it a deep dark secret. Her self identity would develop into a critical low level of self esteem and alienation from any social life. High school was a nightmare. She found a message of hope from an unusual source and decided that prior to entering University she’d transform her life with an ultimate spiritual and physical makeover. Show Less

From as early as he can remember, Shawn had lived with extreme anxiety. As the years went by, he couldn’t connect with other students. He was bullied and could never understand why. A darkness of alienation grew within him and his parents sought help. After years of searching, finally a doctor pinpointed Shawn’s mental health issues. He had Asperger’s. Armed with this knowledge and treatment, Shawn found his way back in the world and learned how to control his disorder. He now helps younger kids who struggle with this mental health disorder. Show Less