DND employee inspires young women at special event

Lisa deWit poses for a photo with RAdm William Truelove, Commander of the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff (Washington) and Canadian Defence Attache, following her address at the Girls Can Do Event.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

Lisa deWit got an uplifting surprise in the form of long, loud applause following her speech on empowering women at the Girls Can Do event held in Washington, D.C.’s historic Warner Theatre.

“I remember the cheers from the audience roared right back on stage at me, letting me know those in attendance genuinely appreciated my message,” said deWit, from Formation Review. “After the presentation, during a meet-and-greet, there were hugs and kisses from total strangers, people wanting photos, and I even had requests for autographs.”

Girls Can Do is a U.S.-based non-profit that hosts events internationally with an emphasis on inspiring girls to be possibility thinkers. The event allows young women to engage, connect and share their struggles and accomplishments with others.

During deWit’s 10-minute oration, she talked about growing up on Wet’suwet’en First Nations territory in northern B.C.  She emphasized the importance of how young women can “eliminate fear of perceived failure” in their lives and begin to see themselves as “matriarchs in training.”

deWit, also the  Civilian Regional Co-Chair for the Defence Aboriginal Advisory Group, was the only Canadian invited to speak at the event, which included Krishanti Vignarajah, Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama; hip-hop recording artist and former bassist for Beyoncé, Divinity Roxx; and the founder and designer of the anti-bullying software application Sit With Us, 16-year-old Natalie Hampton.

deWit extended a special invitation to former Maritime Forces Pacific commander Rear-Admiral Bill Truelove, now Commander of the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff (Washington) and Canadian Defence Attaché, and his wife Brenda Truelove. RAdm Truelove, who worked with deWit and the DAAG for several years before his departure from Esquimalt in 2015, described her address as “passionate and inspirational” and congratulated her afterwards.

“Dressed in First Nations regalia with brilliant red colours, Lisa confidently took centre stage and engaged the audience of young ladies with great poise,” said RAdm Truelove. “She immediately captured their attention and got silence as she brought to life through word and emotion her journey.”

deWit said she relished the opportunity to speak at the event because it’s important for women to remember they have a purpose higher than themselves, and that is to become, and own their place as matriarchs in their communities.

“It is a very important time to lend our voices to support women and ensure the young ladies receive positive messages,” she said. “I took a different approach in my delivery than the other speakers. Instead of talking about how I advanced my career, I chose to discuss how you can reclaim your power in every situation, even the ones that shatter you.”

deWit credited a First Nations’ matriarch in her community and her cultural teachings in deciding what message she would share with the girls.

You can hear her presentation on the Girls Can Do website, www.girls-can-do.org, where videos of all the presenter’s speeches can be viewed.