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News1130 Series: Courage to Come Back Awards

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – From having chronic depression as a child to coming out at the age of 15, life has made this young man wise beyond his years.  We’re continuing our series to profile winners of the 2011 Courage to Come Back Awards with a look at winner Curtis Baldwinson.

The youngest of five kids being raised by a single mom with many problems of her own, 17-year-old Baldwinson became lost in the shuffle.  “The teachers didn’t know what to do with me and the janitor would secretly share his lunches with me.”

Underneath all that was a desire to learn, so he taught himself to skate, play the piano, and various computer languages.  But his greatest challenge was declaring his sexuality and he credits his sister for understanding.

“Most people who are coming out, especially in the kind of culture we have today, it’s really important to have someone who is smart and has respect and is able to tell people you’re alright.”

Baldwinson says knowing help is out there is key.

“Seek out support.  There are youth centers, like the one I go to, Q-munity [in] Downtown Vancouver.  You can find a friend or family member and there’s always usually at least one person who will be there to look out for you.”

When he’s not prepping for BCIT’s Computing Science program, Baldwinson is an activist in the local queer youth community.

News1130 is a proud sponsor of the awards which are being handed out on May 12th.

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