UNF President Emphasizes Youth Leadership Development

NP Editor John Pidkowich’s interview with Taras Pidzamecky, President of the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada Board of Directors.  Mr. Pidzamecky agreed to be interviewed in English, stating at the onset that Ukrainian is the first language his mother taught him adding the remark “as is the case with the interviewer.” JP

John Pidkowich: What is the significance of the recent XXXV National Convention of the UNF and Affiliated Organizations?

Taras Pidzamecky: The significance is the program that we adopted in the Resolutions of the Convention. We had our traditional resolutions where we extend greetings and of course, the very important resolution advocating for the recognition of the Holodomor as genocide against the Ukrainian Nation. However, in terms of new programming, central to the resolutions, leadership development programs for young people are put at the top of the list. This is important for our organization and for our whole community. It’s an opportunity for the UNF to ask itself what it can do in this era to strengthen the community. There is a lot of work that needs to be done with young people not just for the UNF’s own future or succession planning but for the whole community. This is not to take anything away from the many hours people now spend in existing youth organizations. A lot of good work is being done, but in terms of specifically developing leaders on a broader scale in a systematic way for our community, we see an opportunity to bolster and expand youth leadership development and make a unique and distinct contribution.

JP: What is your vision and mission of the UNF of Canada?

TP: I think it is inspired by a vision that really was formed by our founders. The idea that we take for granted today, is no matter what part of the community you come from, what church you attend or which pro-Ukrainian organization you belong to, we should all work together. This idea has not always been so. Looking back at the history of the UNF, in the 1930s, this was a revolutionary idea.  My sense is that community work is moving ahead but I notice that, despite the existence of national organizations and the use of the Internet and various other new forms of communication, people are working locally, not as “networked” as they could be. Going back to the 1930s when the UNF was founded, a lot of organizations existed but were not really relating to each another. Similarly, today, I see people are doing wonderful projects in different parts of the country and they do not know about each other. It struck me that if the UNF did not exist today, it should be invented to help weave together the disperse elements of the community. Our focus first, is to weave together our own Branch network across the country.  Within our own organization, we’re all not thinking nationally as one organization and this is a reflection of the whole community. If we can strengthen national thinking in our branches, we are also going to influence the broader community and help bring it together ... to “think globally, act locally.” 

The strengthening of these ties and bonds is done not just through communication, but through promoting the understanding that we are stronger together in today’s “globalized” world and in the Canadian context.  There is an important role here for the UNF as was the case some 80 years ago. With fewer people involved in our traditional Ukrainian churches and organizations, we need to think about how to bring them together so that they can each collaborate, network and inspire each other, whether they live in a Ukrainian mega centre like Toronto or Edmonton, or in a community with a small Ukrainian population and a handful of young people.   

JP: How is the UNF of Canada forward looking and which steps do you wish to undertake during term as President to arrive at goals in the future?

TP: At the recent UNF Western Branch Conference, I made a presentation called “The UNF: An Organization of Ideas”. We talked about the big ideas the UNF came up with as an organization that helped the community: unity, not-withstanding its diverse nature; the  founding in 1944 of Oseredok – Ukrainian cultural and Educational Centre in Winnipeg; and in conjunction, the development of the Ukrainian Cultural Courses - Vyshchi  osvitni kursy which trained a whole generation of choir directors and dance choreographers. These individuals created a mini-cultural boom, starting famous dancing groups and choirs in Canada.  Youth Leadership Development is the next big UNF idea, to fill a need not only for our own organization but also introduced as UNF contribution to strengthen the community.

But to be a successful organization of big ideas, you must still maintain a solid infrastructure, good governance practices and engage and receive the commitment of your branches and members.  Above all, you can only achieve your goals through concrete action.  We are working on infrastructure and have bolstered our staffing levels with the addition of a part-time national organizer, and are working to update our governance practices.  In terms of action, from the UNF Western Branch Conference, to student summer job programs, to organizing a national tour of the new Canadian film about Lviv A Kingdom by Dani Stodilka, to the Kalyna Country Educational Excursion for students, our new executive has in its first six months in office, demonstrated its commitment to taking the steps necessary to reach our goals.  It is our aim to do more of the same with even greater and more coordinated involvement from our branches, and to draw on branch ideas and successes to motivate others.

Taras Pidzamecky, a lawyer by professional training, is Chief Executive Officer of the Ukrainian Credit Union Ltd. He is married with three young children and lives in Toronto.