Bohdan Hawrylyshyn:

“Dream Bold and be Proud of Your Roots”

The following is an exclusive interview conducted by Walter Derzko for New Pathway with Dr. Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, from Geneva, Switzerland, on the eve of his presentation and book launch on Sunday, September 22 at 3 pm at the Husulak Plast building, 516 The Kingsway (at Kipling) in Toronto. RSVP to Bohdan Myndiuk at 416-418-9609. The first 40 youth will receive a free copy of his book: “Remaining Ukrainian”

Walter Derzko: Can you tell us about your involvement in the Club of Rome? What’s on the Club of Rome meeting agenda for Ottawa this week?

Bohdan Hawrylyshyn: The Club of Rome was created in 1968. I was invited to join the Club in 1972. I served on the Executive Committee for two periods of 4 years each at different times. Membership is limited to 100 people. Qualifications for membership are: genuine interest in the destiny of humanity, ability to comprehend the world in all its facets and capacity to contribute towards improvement of the state of the world. The Annual General Assembly & Conference in Ottawa is a joint one with the World Academy of Art and Science (some 400 fellows) of which I am a fellow and a
member of the Board of Trustees. The main theme on the agenda is “Governance
of the Commons.”

W.D.: Any other Ukrainians members in the Club of Rome?

B.H.: No, there are no other Ukrainians. Two years ago I managed to get elected Prof. Maria Zubrycka, Vice-rector of Ivan Franko University in Lviv as an Associate
member.

W.D.: Tell us about the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Charitable Foundation (BHCF) ? What’s the history of the BHCF? What are your goals?

B.H.: The BHCF was created three and half years ago to help a young generation of Ukrainians to transform Ukraine. I created it as a permanent foundation with several million dollars on deposit in Ukrainian banks, with annual interest rates of 16%-18%. We function from the interest earned. I excluded myself from access to the endowment and interest, in order not to make personal decisions. We function as a team with 7 paid employees.

Groups of seven people (young Ukrainians) of various educational-experiences, backgrounds and interests study five countries, which are effective. They have: full political freedoms; sufficient level of economic well-being for the whole population; social justice in education, health care, pensions; live in symbiosis with the biosphere rather than exploiting and polluting it.

Each group studies a country on the internet, discusses with the Ambassador
of the country in question and then visit the chosen country. They meet people in
different ministries, other institutions. The countries are: Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Poland. The groups will go for elections as teams to local, city, oblast councils and in a few years, when they will have elaborated clear ideologies, plans of action, go for elections to Parliament to become a critical mass of idealists there, a moral majority and will start to transforming the country. Groups work on a voluntary basis, but BHCF covers all travel, living expenses when they travel to the countries mentioned.

W.D.: Your program is focused on youth in Ukraine. How can Ukrainian Canadian youth, who may not have any contacts with Ukraine,  influence, affect  or participate your “Young Generation Will  Change Ukraine” program?

B.H.: Canada is an effective country like those mentioned above. It also has an interesting feature of being oficially a multicutural country. But it is rather far and has less influence on the European destiny of Ukraine. However Ukrainian Canadian youth can, in groups, be in contact with BHCF site: http://bhfoundation.com.ua/en/BHawrylyshyn.html, its office tel: +380 44 280 80 19, its program coordinator Olena Bekreniova tel: +380 96 934 93 64 and carry out studies of some of the institutions, governmental agencies in Canada that are particularly effective and could be incorporated into the “Architecture of Future Societal Order” of Ukraine.

W.D.: Tell our reader about your new book.

B.H.: The title of my newest book in Ukrainian is “Remaining Ukrainian” or “Zalyshayus’ Ukraintsem”. It is available on the Internet. Its English version will be entitled “ Identity in a Globalized World”. It is the story of my life. I was born in a poor family, to a mother with fourth grade education and father who had six grades, though both were very wise people. In my youth I lived through some wonderful and also difficult experiences: under the Polish regime, in Plast camps, under very harsh Soviet and German occupation, then in Germany where I even fed myself for a few days from garbage cans just after the war.

From the age of 12, I dreamt about “discovering the world”. It happened. I learned that with reasonable talent, one can learn to do anything and do it.

I was in 70 countries on all continents, dozens of times as lecturer, chairman of international conferences, consultant to the biggest multinationals, advisor to some governments. I was able to change some countries e.g. persuaded military junta in Argentina, to hand the power back to civilians in 1982-1983.

We distributed 6,000 copies of the book, thousands read it on the Internet. I presented the book at 27 universities in all regions of Ukraine to students, graduate students, some younger professors, each time with 300 to 600 students. The purpose was to inspire the younger generation to dream more boldly and to have more confidence in their abilities. This helped to motivate and mobilize the youth for the program “Young Generation will change Ukraine”.

W.D.: You have always been a staunch supporter of Plast (Ukrainian Scouts). What are you doing with Plast in Ukraine?

B.H.: I have acted for a few years as head of the Plast National Council. I have been helping with the World Organisation of Scout Movements (I am a Baden-Powell Fellow) and for the past six years, I have been giving grants of $150,000 each year for various activities of Plast with the hope that it would expand in central but particularly eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. I also purchased an apartment for $140,000 for some Plast executives to live in and finally bought 2.5 hectars (6.25 acres) of land with a building of 1200 m2, with a river flowing through it, a forest for camping, some 80 km from Kyiv.

W.D.: Your “Roadmaps to the Future” book has had a big effect on my life, personally. For youth trying to make career choices, what advice could you give them today?

B.H.: Dream boldly, study if possible, as first, higher education, engineering
or natural science: mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics. Soon afterwards study another discipline in social, humanitarian, behavioural sciences. You will be wiser because you will examine any problem or situation from two different angles. Continue to learn from life, from what you see, hear, experience. It matters less what you study or do. Do it well. Your career will follow.

W.D.: Final words of advice?

B.H.: Be proud of your roots, of your identity. We are very talented people. Start everything with a dream rather than a business plan. You will think out of the box. Convert it into a business plan later. Learn how to work in teams, to cooperate and not just to compete. Be at the right place at the right time. Strive for harmony between your personal, professional, social lives and your hobbies.

Good Luck!

Biography

Dr. Hawrylyshyn has held numerous jobs and positions across the spectrum from lumberjack and union steward to positions in research, engineering, academia and management in Canada and Europe.

Professor and Director of Studies (1960-1968), Director (1968-1986), Scholar-in-Residence (1986-1989), IMI-Geneva; Taught Economic Development, Creativity, Management of International Operations, World Business Environment, Governance of Countries, Geopolitics.

Consulted countries on governance, multinational companies on internationalization and Board of Directors; Chaired Council of Advisors to the Presidium of the Parliament of Ukraine and International Renaissance Foundation (1991-1998); Advisor to First President of Ukraine (1991-1994), three Prime-Ministers of Ukraine (2000-2003), four Chairmen of the Parliament of Ukraine (1990-2006).

Author of two books: 1) L’Education des Dirigeants – Aspects Mthodologiques, Peter Lang, Berne, Frankfurt, Las Vegas, 1977; 2) Road Maps to the Future – Towards More Effective Societies, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1980.

Author of over 100 articles in management, management education, economic and political environment, countries in transition.

B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto (1952 & 1954); MBA, IMI International Management Institute, Geneva (now IMD Lausanne) (1958); Ph.D. in Economics, University of Geneva (1976).

PHOTO

Dr. Bohdan Hawrylyshyn