Andrew Abey
More about Andrew’s internship
Andrew is interning with Beaver First Nation's (BFN) Health Department this summer; his position is funded through the Daryl K. Seaman Canadian Hockey Fund at the Calgary Foundation. Upon arrival in the community, Andrew has been working with the Health Centre Covid-19 Coordinator, helping to restock isolation pods and distribute covid-19 information. He has been helping other health staff with delivering food and newsletters to community members and meeting elders in the community. He has also been busy organizing youth recreation activities including a baseball camp that has received a lot of interest from children and youth.
A conversation with Andrew about participating in the Engage North Internship Program --
Who are you?My name is Andrew Abey and I am a soon-to-be fourth-year student studying Immunology and Infection at the U of A. Some of my hobbies include playing piano and more recently learning how to play the guitar. I also enjoy playing basketball, badminton, tennis, and most other recreational sports with my friends. One of my passions is supporting and advocating for senior’s mental and physical wellness by volunteering at ElderCare Edmonton.
What are your specific interests as an intern for Engage North?
My specific interest as an intern would be to share my passion for sports and recreation with youth in the community. Growing up I played badminton competitively and more recently I have had the chance to coach youth in the sport. In coaching, I hope to impart the importance of physical activity in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We are planning to run a baseball skills/drills camp throughout the summer where we will be coaching the youth in the community. Another sports-related project being planned is organizing basketball tournaments for the youth which will utilize the newly created community basketball courts. Since my role also involves health and wellness, I will be working very closely with the health centre at Beaver First Nation. Here I will be helping the COVID coordinator in tasks such as making sure the community COVID isolation room is fully stocked and responding to covid cases in the community.
Why do you want to be an intern? What attracted you or motivated you to get the position?
I wanted to be an Engage North Intern because of the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in an Indigenous community and learn first-hand about what life is like for Indigenous people in remote areas of Canada. I also have aspirations for pursuing a career in public health and I thought this would be an opportunity to learn about the unequal access to proper health care for Indigenous communities and what can be done to address this problem. Lastly, I wanted to become an Engage North Intern to learn more about my personal responsibilities in reconciliation and how I can grow in my role as an ally and advocate for reconciliation in my future career.