Our Speaker, Liz Duerholt

Kurt Kowalchuk introduced Liz Duerholt, Founder and Executive Director of Redefin'd Calgary, a local NGO that provides meaningful work opportunities in a compassionate environment for at-risk young people navigating barriers to employment.

 

Our speaker began her presentation by describing her journey from a well-paid position in Calgary's oil industry to the founding Redefin'd Calgary. After leaving her Calgary life to start a charity in Malawi, she realized that she was trying to escape from something and that living on a sustainable farm halfway around the world caused her inner turmoil to go quiet. She also experienced a deep connection with the people living on the farm. On her return to Calgary, the feeling of not belonging to the Canadian corporate world broke through.

 

Working with at-risk youth in the aftermath of the catastrophic June 2013 floods, Ms. Duerholt realized that these youth shared her feelings on "not belonging." She left the oil and gas sector in June 2014 to share their experiences, which included building gardens, a pop-up farmers market and a handmade soap shop.

 

She also shared the personal stories of Matt and Tara, two at-risk young people who connected powerfully with Ms. Duerholt. On reaching the mandatory completion age with the program he was participating in, Matt had nowhere else to go, while Tara was slipping through the cracks of Alberta's mental health system. Ms. Duerholt created Redefin'd to help people like Matt and Tara. Redefin'd mentors work with disconnected and traumatized people whose life experiences instill fear, which they can only relieve through positive experiences that saturate their lives with connections.