A Delta school district youth counsellor has been recognized for overcoming incredible obstacles in his own life to reach troubled kids and help them start making smarter choices.
Curtis Miller Joe was one on six recipients of the 2013 Courage to Come Back Awards.
Presented by Coast Mental Health to people who have overcome obstacles and are now giving back, the award in the social adversity category is fitting when it comes to Miller's inspiring story.
"It's pretty overwhelming and it's pretty cool," Miller told the Optimist this week.
The 53-year-old, an imposing physical figure with tattoos and scars from knife wounds, went from being a drug addict and long-time criminal who spent time in prison to being a respected native artist and school counsellor.
Principals and students wrote letters recommending him for the award, which he received at a gala at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre on Thursday.
Miller had a deeply troubled and abused childhood, getting mixed up in drugs and crime at a young age. He freely admits his life was spiraling downward and he was out of control.
His turnaround started in jail when he joined the Native Brotherhood fellowship, taking part in carving, dancing and sweat lodges, as well as talking with elders who helped him steer a new course. He would eventually take a leadership role with the group.
It's an understatement to say it wasn't easy for Miller to find work when he got a criminal pardon, but the father of two took courses when he could, determined to one day mentor youth who could relate to his story.
Hired by the Delta district three years ago, he now works at four elementary schools and one high school, juggling a case load of 80 kids.
The district, for a variety of reasons, often labels those youth "at-risk." Some act out in school, don't show up and some are already involved in dangerous behaviour Miller knows all too well.
"There's quite a few kids that I can see are struggling and going through the same things. Obviously I don't know what went on when they were a small child because they haven't told me, but I can see the behaviour, the partying, the really risky behaviour and fighting, having police incidents and all that stuff."
He points to the tragic death of a student on a party bus in Surrey earlier this year as just one example how bad choices can lead to terrible consequences.
"One of the things when you tell a kid that you shouldn't do this or don't do that, they sometimes want to do it to see why you don't want then to do it, or go against you, so one of the things I want is to send the message that this is what will happen for you. You can die, you can overdose and you can end up in prison.
"I try to teach them how to be responsible. When they think of being responsible, they may say, 'Well, I'm not drinking and driving.' But when we talk about being responsible, it's more than that, like not getting so loaded you can wake up in a really bad situation."
Miller says kids will often act a certain way due to anxiety or depression.
While each young person has a different story, many respect where he's coming from after learning about his troubled life, he says.
"They seem to be a little more open with me than somebody else who may be a counsellor. They might feel more comfortable because they see I under-stand what they're talking about and I have common ground with them. Then we can go from there and work from there."
As far as the much talked about issue of bullying, Miller says most kids he talks to aren't bullies, but are troubled because they feel they're disconnected.
"Sometimes they feel that everyone is looking down on them because they might be out of the norm. I don't think they're bad kids, they just have some issues.
They're basically in their own world with their own group of people and not taking care of themselves sometimes."
