Starting on Boxing Day, Connect is looking back, and counting down. Each night, we'll bring you one of the top five stories of 2011.

At 16, David Bondarchuck dropped out of school and was living in a homeless shelter. Through hard work and determination he turned his life around and this year he was invited to fulfill his dream of decorating the red room in the White House.

In 2008 freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout was kidnapped by Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia and held in harsh captivity for over a year. Lindhout tells Mark how she was able to forgive in the face of such awful acts.

Today marked the funeral of Tabitha Stepple - one of four people killed in a roadside murder-suicide along an empty stretch of highway near Lethbridge last week.

Youtube has just released its most-watched videos of 2011, but exactly how do these internet celebrities make careers out of turning cameras on themselves? One of the first major Youtube stars, the man behind "Chocolate Rain" explains how he made it big and what overnight fame can bring.

While the world marks the death of another dictator this year, we're reminded of how little is known of the true conditions many North Koreans face. Tonight, eyewitnesses tell us what life beyond the DMZ is really like.

Mark tells the story about the strangest gift he's ever received on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight....

But what is it like to survive a murder-suicide? A survivor of a murder-suicide tells us about his struggle for answers and how to cope with the anger that lingers long after the crime.

When the cost of the war is thousands of civilian and solider deaths, a tarnished international reputation, and a price tag of nearly one trillion dollars, was it all worth it?

After a year of protests around the world - from Tunisia to Wall Street - could this be the year that killed apathy?

A survivor of sexual abuse tells us his story of testifying against his abuser and the recovery process that sometimes leaves others behind.

British Prime Minsiter David Cameron says that what may be good for the EU, isn't good for Britain. Could the UK's posturing sink the Euro?

Retired FBI agent Robert Levinson who vanished five years ago in Iran. Tonight, what it's like to be held hostage in a foreign country, and what's going on behind closed doors to free hostages like Levinson.

Tonight, the story of Margo and Glen- an emotional, unforgettable story of redemption: a killer who has developed an improbable friendship with his victim's daughter.

As we put more people behind bars, how prepared are they for life on the outside? Tonight - you'll hear the story of one woman who spent 16 years behind bars for murder, and is now walking free.

Almost two decades ago, a 20-month old baby girl was allegedly abducted by her mother. Tonight, what it's like to be reunited with a family, you never knew you had.

Another bullied teen commits suicide - after car accidents, it's the top cause of death for Canadian teens. Charest says Quebec will review it's policy following Marjorie Raymond's suicide. But are laws really the way to stop nasty kids from victimizing others?