About Our Team

Speaker Profiles

ANJELA

"Most of my life I was like a burn victim, I had no emotional skin to protect me from the world. Every word, every facial expression, every slight I took to heart, internalized it and blamed myself."

I spent a long time punishing myself, trying to numb myself from the pain I felt inside, trying to feel a semblance of normal. Some teachers started to realize that I was hurting myself or making destructive choices at school and twice I was brought into the guidance counsellor’s office. They were concerned for me and at that time it meant so much to me that someone noticed me and cared about how I was doing. They could see through my actions and behaviour and recognize that more than anything I needed help and guidance not punishment and they were right. I am now so much more optimistic about my future and myself. I have hope that I can lead a life worth living. I have many challenges with my illness still, but I know that I have the strength and resources in me to overcome them. Every bad thing that has happened in my life, every cruel word spoken has made me a more compassionate and a stronger, more courageous person.

 

ARSHEEN

"Hurting myself to please others seemed to be the purpose of my life during my childhood. I didn’t think I would grow up to have the power within myself to be who I want to be and not what others want."

Nothing seemed more important than pleasing the people that hated me so much. It started off with girls bullying me, continued to me bullying others and led back to me being bullied once again. Today I can be a voice of change and has given me the opportunity to share my life experiences and struggles. The struggles that I faced and how I learned from them make me who I am today and I am happy with the Arsheen that I grew up to be. Just knowing that a person took my story into consideration to make positive decisions motivates me to continue speaking. I feel empowered now, I feel like myself. I feel like a rose that grew from concrete.

 

BROCK

“For the longest time I didn't want to be Brock"

I didn’t want to look like Brock, talk like Brock or walk like Brock. Needless to say, I didn't like him much. I was constantly on the hunt to find anything to take him out me. Growing up I always knew I was different. I eventually found out that this difference was gay one. Indeed, I was very different and very very gay. Everyone seemed to pick up on it and they’d pick on me for it. I wanted to dig it out of me and burn it because it meant a life getting beaten up daily and seeing slurs scribbled and scratched onto any surface that belonged to me. I had to move to the city to find myself (Where ever you go, there you are). I lost myself in the process. I lost friends, jobs, apartments, and self-respect. However, there were a few friends and family who refused to give up on me. Because of their support I started to see that there must be something about me worth while. There are a lot of things I aspire to be today, but that’s not because I don’t want to be Brock.

 

KATIE

"I can say that I am happy, I am healthy and I am doing well for myself. But for so long, I was negative about life and everything that was in it. It seemed that I loved to self-destruct and it didn’t matter if it was affecting my life, my health, my future, or anyone around me for that matter."

When I was growing up, I was extremely bullied due to my shy and quiet nature. I remember thinking to myself, how can I change to be like everyone else. I looked so happy on the outside but was actually miserable on the inside. My self-destructive behaviour never numbed the pain, as the pain always came back. One day something about me said that I had enough, and that I was withering away. I finally realised that I was ready for help this time, and I had to make the choice to change. I am not perfect but I would never want to be now. If I can inspire just one individuals life, it makes my journey worth it all.  

 

JON

"I guess I always saw life as dull and boring. I wanted to spice things up, seek thrills; have fun. I didn’t want to grow up. So I brought myself to some pretty amazing places in life. Amazing despair, amazing helplessness, jails, psychiatric hospitals to just name a few."

I wanted to keep the party going forever. No one could touch me anymore, no one could make me feel, no one could hurt me. That was my life and that’s how I wanted it, but I eventually came to a point where I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror, no one wanted to be around me anymore. I made some difficult decisions and each one has a new opportunity for me to grow. Today I am proud to be me, through all my ups and downs. Today I feel accepted and know that life is not a waste of time. It’s beautiful with amazing things to explore and find. It’s just now up to me to find the beauty and hold it with me so I don’t ever have to go back to the eternal darkness.

 

JOANNE

"I grew up having everything I ever wanted and needed but i lacked in one area of my life and that was my self-confidence."

Over the years i developed this hole which i tried to fill  with everything i could get my hands on, no exceptions. Only to find later that the only thing that was going to fill my hole was love for myself. This took me 23 years to learn and i am still learning it. Now today it’s not about the things that i have but who i have in my life and the most important person is me.

 

 

MATTHEW

"Growing up with bullying in elementary school, I was lead to make some wrong choices going through high school."

In elementary school, I didn't know a word of English. It was hard to fit in and getting beat up or being excluded from group games like hand ball was an everyday thing. Wanting to be strong so I could protect myself and to become a part of something, lead me through a very difficult path in life during high school. I was living the life of gangs, drugs, and violence, which wasn't much of a life at all. I had no control of my life and it took many years to turn my life around. I may not be a perfect person now, but I'm in control of my life and my future, working hard to catch up with the time that I've taken for granted.

 

NATHANIEL

"I wanted to fit in so much, to feel accepted by all those around me, yet I couldn’t accept myself and who I was."

Who was I was a question I often asked myself. I didn’t know that change was possible as I was comfortable with the harm I was doing to myself as well as those around me. It didn’t matter what help was offered to me, I had to truly want to change and want the help. I wanted to see what life had in store for me, but was blinded by influence and lack of self worth. The path I had taken was not the wrong one, just one that was a little longer. We will always have obstacles to overcome, how we overcome them, and what we do with the tools afterwards is what makes it all worthwhile.

 

RYAN

"I have been with the program for six incredible years. I started off sharing my personal story of being bullied throughout elementary school and going down a difficult path in high school, and now I am the Youth Trainer for this program."

The immense positive changes that have taken place in my life, have not only been shared through Youthspeak, but have been because of Youthspeak. I now have the great opportunity to support the youth speakers who are so powerful and full of strength. Every time I help facilitate a presentation or a speaker team meeting. I always feel a part of a bigger picture. The youthful relate-ability and powerful messages make YouthSpeak an unforgettable and unique program.

 

WILL

"Hold on to whatever is important to you and don't let anyone or anything take that away."

People often ask me, how are you so energetic? To be honest, I don't have a straight answer to that question. All I know is I have this exceptional motivation and inspiration to live life to its fullest, living each day happy and free. But it wasn't always this way... I spiraled downwards into a life I never even thought existed – a life full of destruction and negativity. I was oblivious to each step I was taking to my bottom, I fell into it like a trap – a victim to vulnerability. Before I knew it, I lost everything. However, by the grace of God, I found a way out and these days it's different, I got back what I lost plus more and I will never let anyone or anything take what I have away ever again. I have so much appreciation for the little things in life, I live each day as if it were my last, happy and free...