“My personal mission is to seek out, notice and give a voice to the beauty, strength and potential that is often less obvious… YouthSpeak was inspired by lived experience within my own family. My son, Gavin was one of our first youth speakers sharing his story during our inaugural year; until he died on his 19th birthday in a weather-related car accident – July 18th,...
“Sometimes something so bone-shaking happens to us that it creates a timestamp on our lives. We might see it as, ‘my life before x,’ and, ‘my life after x’. Unfortunately, I experienced quite a few of these moments in my life; Trauma after trauma, for what felt like years on end. After escaping from a dangerous situation in my youth, I began my journey of...
“Self love is the greatest medicine…A lot of my early years I was exposed to toxic relationships and unhealthy communication styles. Not having the proper support and guidance ultimately led me to start unhealthy relationships of my own and using unhealthy coping mechanisms. The difficulties I faced during high school caused me to dive deeper into these toxic relationship and allowed me to develop unhealthy...
’There is no one alive who is youer than you’– Dr. Suess… Growing up in different countries, I’ve always strived to do one thing—fit in. I tried to adapt to the people around me slowly changing bits and pieces of myself. However, as I began fading away these parts, I felt empty inside. This affected me as I struggled with depression, anxiety and body image...
“Be yourself; Everyone else is taken… Going through my early adolescents experiencing depression and anxiety I never really thought that I would ever feel normal. I engaged in a lot of negative self-talk making it hard for me to be myself. Feeling like I was alone in my feelings I looked to negative coping strategies to deal with these troubling thoughts and feelings. I was...
“If I have learned one thing throughout my journey, it’s that anyone can draw strength through adversity. I spent most of my life living with a different name, a different appearance and a different gender. I realised that I was transgender (female transitioning to male or FTM) when I was in my late teens, and it was a revelation that changed my life. Most of...
“It costs nothing to be kind.” As a child and adolescent, my challenges at home continuously followed me into the classroom. Not only did this stress influence my academics, but the lack of knowing how to cope with life’s challenges left me feeling anxious, afraid, and insecure about who I was. I knew I needed to do something but I didn’t know what. It was...
“From being the A-type male teen who faced major life challenges, including severe incidents of bullying at school to becoming a professional athlete by 18, I never realized the importance of Mental Health until I was deep in the pitfall. With the support of family and friends, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I’m now 3 years past my mental health diagnosis and...
“Be the rainbow of someone’s cloudy day…growing up, I was never the person that fit in with my peers and because of that, I found myself constantly being a target of bullying. Due to these experiences, my mental health was greatly affected, and I grew up as someone who lacked any confidence and self-love throughout most of my life. It took me a very long...
“Acceptance is the answer to all of my problems…Growing up I always felt different. I struggled with major anxiety and low self esteem. I was bullied in school and went through different forms of sexual trauma throughout my life, so I turned to substances in order to escape. This only led me to attract more negative experiences and made my life very unmanageable. It took...
“I am who I am with all my faults and my mistake” – Rm (BTS)…I really connect with this message because in the beginning of it all, I hated that life was hard and I made so many mistakes constantly. I was a small town girl, feeling like I am really living in a lonely world with problems like depression, anxiety, and discovering my gender...
“Be your true self and seek your own approval and acceptance above anyone else’s…Growing up, I experienced a lot of negativity which prompted me to form negative views of myself and the world. While trying to find how I fit in and searching for acceptance from peers, I pursued substances which led me to feeling like I had to hide certain parts of myself or...
“You have brains in your head, feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. ” – Dr. Seuss “Sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But if you keep going, eventually you’ll reach it. A lot of events have transpired throughout my life that have shaped me into who I am today. Having gone through...
“Always stay true to yourself and uplift others who need help along the way…I was diagnosed with the conditions Tourette Syndrome and OCD entering my first year of high school. As a result, I endured insurmountable bullying, which triggered the onset of early stage depression. I started getting bullied really bad in high school and people called me names. I was a bit heavier too,...
“I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned, through life’s disappointments and countless rewards, is the cruciality of knowing one’s self…The notion of seeing yourself as a best friend or an ally of sorts, is as difficult as it is worthwhile. In my experience, most of what makes life meaningful tends to be just that; Worthy of every ounce of struggle. Still, when I look at...
You are one decision away from a totally different life. – Mel Robbins…”My journey through depression started in high school. I spent years feeling hopeless, suffering from low self-esteem, and looking to others for approval because I couldn’t find it within myself. It got worse as time went on. My life changed forever when my biology professor convinced me that it’s ok to not be...
“Getting the right help at the right time is the key to the mental health wellness…starting my Canadian life as an immigrant, when I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders however, it was very hard to do so. I was faced with many obstacles and stigma that typically challenges the patients of mental disorders, and those obstacles sadly included members from my own community....
“A smile can hide so many feelings, fear, sadness heartbreak, but it also shows one other thing strength… After going through anxiety, in grade 4 being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and depression due to bullying i was afraid to talk to other about my feelings and wanting to drop out of school. Now I can say being thankful from all the support systems that i...
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. – Bernard M. Baruch. “I grew up in a small community which was great but everyone knew each other. So anything you did didn’t ever leave your side. Over the last 18 years, I’ve faced bullying, body image issues and been very anxiety prone...
“My whole life I always thought my self worth was determined by others. I never learned about the importance of mental health. At the age of four I worried about getting a job and making money. A child shouldn’t worry about this, but I did. I felt the way my brain worked was different and since everyone’s brain works differently and talking about emotions is...
If you know someone or are someone who may a have a personal story and message to share with other youth:
Interested In Becoming A Youth Speaker
Our volunteers are a valued and integral part of the organization. Current volunteer opportunities include:
If you would like to chat more about volunteering with YouthSpeak, please contact Una Wright at 905-967-0604 or una@youthspeak.ca
