A former Springbank High School student is experiencing a new culture and learning more about health services on an international level, while on a six-month trip in Georgetown, Guyana.
“It’s really different from where I grew up … and really different from Antigonish,” said Carmen Pedersen, a recent graduate of Saint Francis Xavier University (St. FX), in Antigonish, N.S. She earned a bachelor of science with an advanced major in biology.
“It’s a really busy city, but people are amazing and I’m really excited about my job,” said Pedersen during a Skype interview, June 5. She arrived in Georgetown June 2.
Pedersen will be working with the volunteer organization Youth Challenge Guyana, a subset of Youth Challenge International, a global organization that encourages young people to engage in positive community development in African, Central American and South American countries.
In Guyana, the organization promotes youth involvement in community service projects such as health education, environmental research, leadership development and community infrastructure.
“As a research associate, I will be working within the health program, conducting needs assessments research,” she explained.
She said the information she collects would be used to show current trends, challenges and opportunities within the Guyanese health system.
“I’m hoping the health program will give me some valuable experience so I can go to med school one day,” she said of her future goals.
Pedersen and 19 other young adults got the opportunity to do this six-month internship through the Coady International Institute’s Youth In Partnership.
The Government of Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency, funds the Coady internship, giving Canadian University graduates experience working with development organizations in their field of study.
The Coady International Institute is based at the St. FX campus and is committed to reducing poverty and transforming societies by strengthening local economies, building resilient communities and by promoting social accountability and good governance, according to its website, coady.stfx.ca.
