Why I want to work with FaithAction and the APPG on Faith & Society

The FaithAction team have been delighted to be joined this year by an intern to provide support for our work in Parliament, particularly as we work hard to get the All Party Parliamentary Group for Faith and Society, for which FaithAction is the secretariat, reconstituted after June’s general election. Sabtayn, a second year university student, will be working with the team for the next 6 months. This week, we asked Sabtayn to introduce himself and to describe why he wanted to work with the team.

My name is Sabtayn. I am 19 years old, and I come from East London. I am currently a full-time student studying Religion, Philosophy and Ethics, or more broadly, Theology and Religious Studies. I have a desire to study religion extensively and I am fascinated by religion and its effect on the self and society. I grew up in Leyton, where I went to school, and completed my A-Levels in Newham. Naturally, my desire to study religion was partly founded by the diverse and multicultural areas that I was constantly exposed to. 

Growing up as a Muslim, religion has been a dominant aspect of my life. We were constantly involved with the mosque and religious community. Though I do ascribe much of the positivity of my upbringing to religion, I have also seen firsthand the discrimination that religious minorities face. Religious communities are often viewed with a level of scepticism and were treated poorly both by other members of my community and by authorities. So, it is that very personal experience which adds to my desire to study religion and pursue it as a career to make any impact insofar as my capability allows me.

My choice to work as an intern at FaithAction stemmed from my interest in religion. I had always been unsure how to translate this interest in religion and philosophy into a viable career, as opposed to much more tangible pathways such as the medical career, which is why I chose to gain an insight into this by working at FaithAction. I hope to gain critical skills that will set me up with a good amount of experience to transition into work life and wish to gain more insight into how to pursue religion in a career. Ultimately, I wish to make any tiny positive impact that I am capable of doing. 

 Stay tuned to hear more from Sabtayn as his FaithAction internship progresses!