Andrew Chong

As area director for Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited’s Vancouver team, I lead a team of youth workers and volunteers in caring for a young person’s wholistic health—mental, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual. Our team has created a myriad of partnerships with local schools, government, churches, businesses, and community organizations.

Working in my hometown of North Vancouver is near and dear to my heart as I was born and raised in Lynn Valley; one of my first ever projects with Youth Unlimited on the North Shore, back in 2013, was creating a lunchtime floor hockey league at my former high school, Sutherland Secondary.

As a follower of Jesus, it is ingrained in my Christian faith to serve and lift up all people, regardless of religion, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic status, physical and mental ability, national origin, and political ideology.

I love bringing people together, helping young people see their potential, and creating spaces that lead to transformation. You can usually find me at one of a number of JJ Bean locations, having tea with a young person. A couple times a week, you might see me driving along Lonsdale with the Youth Unlimited North Shore Mobile Youth Drop-In (an ’82 Winnebago RV) en route to a high school outreach session. And depending on the time of year, you might spot me supporting young adults in the creation of North Vancouver’s CityFest, preparing youth for The Elevation Experience in Rwanda, or collaborating with City staff or Mayor Buchanan on local youth initiatives.

I live in Central Lonsdale with my wife, Jennifer – an emergency nurse – and our baby boy, Jasper. We have two dogs, MILO and Boessy. In my past life, I covered the Vancouver Canucks for ESPN SportsTicker and was editor of HockeyNow magazine.