Andrea McCoy

After spending most of her 20s traveling abroad, Andrea found herself wanting to engage with refugee newcomers in the United States. She taught writing classes to refugee women, tutored in people's homes and worked with children for many years.   

After receiving her masters degree in international in intercultural communications at Royal Roads University, Andrea  began working as the co-coordinator for the Vancouver Island Refugee Response Team which enabled settlement for over 500 Syrian refugees to the island in 2016.  

She has conducted workshops for newcomer employment, liaisoned with the Provincial Government to make newcomer resources more available, and created websites for community organizations in Victoria.  

She is excited to be working with refugees and involving the community to enable healthy and culturally responsive support for newcomer families. 

Passions: A really good workout. A morning cup of coffee. And definitely my family.
Favourite Food: Toast with cinnamon, butter and sugar
Least Favourite Food: Popcorn without salt and butter
Favourite Book: Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
Favourite Movie: While You Were Sleeping