Scarborough youth mentor turns being stopped by police at 16 into a message of courage

Scarborough youth leader Adrian Leckie is preparing to bring a deeply personal message about identity, mental health and finding the courage to speak openly to one of the continent’s largest inspirational speaking stages.

On July 21, Leckie will compete in the Speaker Slam’s Identity competition at Lula Lounge in Toronto, where he will deliver a five-minute speech about releasing an old identity that no longer reflects the person he has become.

Speaker Slam, which describes itself as North America’s largest inspirational speaking competition, will bring together 10 speakers to explore the labels, expectations and experiences that have shaped their identities. The winner will receive a prize package valued at up to $10,000, including $2,000 in cash, and advance to the 2026 Grand Slam: Inspirational Speaking Finals.

For Leckie, the return to the stage is connected to an experience he had as a teenager growing up in Toronto.

At 16, Leckie was walking home from a homecoming game at East York Collegiate Institute when two police officers stopped him in connection with a convenience store robbery he had nothing to do with. He was told to empty his backpack on the street, laying out his textbooks, water bottle, and lunchbox to prove his innocence.

Leckie said the experience changed how he understood the way others could perceive him because of his race.

“It was that moment when I was picked out, out of a group of people, a sea of people who were walking by,” he told Now Toronto.

In the months afterward, Leckie questioned whether he could have responded differently and initially tried to convince himself the officers had simply been doing their jobs. However, he continued to feel exposed, fearful, and resentful.

“The power of that was being able to have the words to explain what was happening that that 16-year-old version of myself didn’t have at the time,” he said.

Despite the experience, Leckie went on to become valedictorian of his graduating class.

The incident would later become part of Leckie’s first Speaker Slam speech, which earned him second place during the competition’s Belonging event. He said sharing the story helped him connect with people who had experienced similar feelings of discrimination, isolation, and silence.

Audience members approached him afterward to tell him that the speech resonated with them, while youth organizations invited him to continue the conversation with young people.

Leckie said that experience encouraged him to return for the Identity competition with a new message about understanding who you are and remaining true to that person.

“This time around, I think one thing I’ve been really reflecting on is how to build a sense of clarity as of who you are and how you can stay in integrity to that,” he said.

His upcoming speech was partly inspired by his interest in superheroes, character studies and secret identities — but it also examines the real-life parts of ourselves that people may feel pressured to hide.

Leckie said a conversation with his father made him reflect on the ways he had changed his behaviour to avoid upsetting others.

“I felt like I had to navigate the world and present as one way because I didn’t want to shake things up or make folks uncomfortable,” he said.

Writing the speech forced him to confront some of those feelings and coach himself through the same discomfort he now helps others navigate.

“I want to make sure I show up for him as well when I go on stage,” he said, referring to the younger version of himself who may not have felt brave enough to speak.

Creating the spaces he needed growing up

Born and raised in Toronto, Leckie grew up in Crescent Town and now lives and works in Scarborough.

He is a leadership development expert, public speaker, coach, and youth success strategist. At the University of Toronto Scarborough, he serves as the team lead for the Imani Black Academic Mentorship Program.

The program connects Black university students with Black youth in Scarborough, offering mentorship, academic support and culturally responsive programming designed to help students build confidence and explore pathways to post-secondary education.

Leckie said much of his work is rooted in creating the support systems he wished he had as an only child trying to navigate school, relationships, failure, and his future.

Seeing young people develop confidence, improve their public speaking, and build a sense of community has become a full-circle experience for him.

“It also feels like a service to myself and also to folks who are experiencing the same thing,” he said.

Leckie completed a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a Master of Education in adult and community development at the University of Toronto.

He initially entered university as a biology student because he felt it was the path he was supposed to follow. After receiving a not-so-pleasing grade during his second year, however, he began reconsidering what he wanted from his education.

“I need to figure out something that’s in line with what I want to do and who I want to be,” Leckie recalled thinking at the time.

That shift eventually led him toward psychology, mental health, education, community development, and the work he does today.

Breaking the pressure to stay silent

The competition also comes during BIPOC Mental Health Month, which is recognized each July as a time to highlight the mental-health experiences, barriers and strengths of Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities.

Leckie said young Black men can face several overlapping pressures that make it difficult to openly discuss discrimination, fear or mental health.

Growing up in a Jamaican family, he said, emotional struggles were often treated as something a person was expected to push through quietly.

“You need to be man enough. You need to be strong enough. You don’t want to be weak in particular spaces. You just have to work and push through,” he said.

Those expectations can also be reinforced through ideas about masculinity and how Black men are expected to present themselves among their peers.

Leckie believes creating environments where men can speak honestly and recognize that others share similar experiences can lead to healing, stronger relationships, and a greater sense of community.

“There’s so much healing and growth that comes from that,” he said.

He would also like to see schools create more intentional opportunities for Black youth to discuss identity, discrimination and mental health through mentorship, small-group conversations and one-on-one support.

Teachers may be passionate about helping students, Leckie said, but often lack the resources required to address the individual needs of a classroom of approximately 30 young people.

Providing students with mentors who have faced similar experiences could help them feel heard, develop confidence, and recognize the value of their voices.

As he prepares to step onto the Speaker Slam stage again, Leckie hopes his story encourages audience members — particularly young people who may be hiding or shrinking parts of themselves — to move forward with better clarity and confidence.

“You also have a voice in you that’s ready to go out there in the world,” he said. “It’s just a matter of taking that one step to put yourself out there to speak in the spaces that need to hear your voice.”

Speaker Slam’s Identity competition takes place on July 21 at 7 p.m. at Lula Lounge, located at 1585 Dundas Street West. Tickets are available through Speaker Slam, and more information about Leckie’s speaking and coaching work can be found through his website.