Survivor shares his story with youth

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Youth today face many obstacles and tough decisions in their day-to-day lives. Lee Robert Mason, who is with Youth Warrior Programs based in Vancouver, knows the price to be paid when the choices made are the wrong ones.

"I lived the life I talk to the kids about. Drugs, alcohol, crime, gangs, I did it all."

Not everyone who lives the kind of life Mason did manages to survive, but sometimes they're lucky enough to get a wake-up call before it is too late. That's what happened to Mason.

"I spent a lot of time in federal prisons for robberies that I was doing to support my addictions," he said. "Then after a near-fatal overdose I realized I needed to change my life."

He worked to turn his life around, then went on to study addictions recovery and began helping others regain control of their own lives. He's since expanded his training and counselling skills to deal with suicide, grief and trauma, which allows him to better help those who have suffered through abuse and neglect.

Now, 10 years later, he has no regrets about dedicating his time to helping youth across the country.

"There are sacrifices I've had to make but it's worth it to help and to see them change," said Mason.

"There is a lot of anger out there, and it's not going away," he said. "It's a vicious cycle that needs to be changed. Gang life is glorified and I am here to tell [youth] the things that no one has told them before and to try and help them see through a different set of eyes because I've been there. I'm telling them the truth."

Mason knows he won't get through to each and every young person he speaks to, but he does hope that some will look at life with a different perspective.

"For things to really change a healing process has to happen," said Mason. "Not just the youth, but the parents too. We can help the youth see things differently, but if they return to the exact same circumstances none of that matters."

Mason knows that everyone needs to feel valued and nurtured, especially children and youth, but when the parents don't know how to do that, the children don't learn either.

"You learn to be a parent from your own parents," he said."That teaches us how to care, nurture and love. "There is so much hurt and confusion out there that the baggage of both parents, combined with alcohol, drugs and abuse, does not make a healthy or nurturing situation."

Mason believes that everyone from top to bottom needs to be helped with healing before things can really change for the better.

"We all need to start getting better," Mason said.