Reflections on New Perspectives

This year, Noviy shliakh celebrates its 75^th anniversary. To mark this occasion, last week we presented an article on the early days of our paper; this week our focus is on the history of New Perspectives, our paper’s English-language companion publication, published from 1977-1993.

 By Ulana Plawuszczak Pidzamecky

During the 1970s and 1980s, New Perspectives, the face and voice of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation of Canada, was born and raised into flourishing young adulthood. Throughout those years, the cultural-political environment in Ukraine and in Canada was filled with many tensions, fundamental changes, and growing pains. This experience was reflected in the pages of the newspaper.

In August of 1977, on the eve of New Perspectives’ first appearance, 35 countries signed the Helsinki Agreement, which contained a range of commitments to enhance security and cooperation in Europe, as well as human rights.  Although the Helsinki Final Act was criticized by sceptics, including some diaspora Ukrainians, as endorsing the political status quo of Soviet control, it turned out to be a key factor in the demise of the Soviet empire.

In Ukraine, under Ukrainian Communist party leader Petro Shelest (1963-72) a modest national revival occurred, but it was cut short by Shelest’s removal. Arrests of dissenters and cultural leaders followed. The long tenure of Volodymyr Shcherbytsky as party chief was marked by Russification, cultural sterility, and political stagnation. Every attempt to dispute Soviet rule was harshly oppressed.

The world energy crisis of the 1970s delayed the political and economic collapse of the USSR, but not for long. The Chornobyl nuclear plant disaster of 1986 and military and political confrontation with the West resulted in economic collapse.

To save the system, in the mid-1980s, the Kremlin, under Mikhail Gorbachev’s leadership, proclaimed the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). Constitutional reform released the Soviet authorities from the direct dictates of the Communist Party. In 1989, for the first time since 1918, comparatively free elections were held in the USSR. A year later, there were Verkhovna Rada and local council elections. Parliament was joined by representatives of national and democratic forces. But such limited democratization could not save the totalitarian regime.  Political changes proceeded rapidly after 1989, the year that saw the rise of mass organizations, most notably Rukh (People’s Movement of Ukraine), which pushed for greater autonomy.

Scholarly interest in Ukraine, which was virtually non-existent in Western Europe outside of Ukrainian migr centres like the Ukrainian Free University in Munich, was ignited in the 1980s during the declining years of the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, Ukrainians in the diaspora were establishing scholarly institutions, which found recognition in the non-Ukrainian speaking world. Ukrainians in Canada established the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies and those in the United States, the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. 

Scores of American and Canadian universities began to offer Ukrainian courses, thanks in large part to Ukrainian students. These initiatives, along with the growing strength of the Ukrainian community in Canada and the implementation of the policy of multiculturalism, played a significant role in the growth of Ukrainian scholarship in North America. Of no less importance was the breakthrough of bilingual education in the public schools of Alberta, followed successfully in Manitoba and Ontario.

In Ukraine, numerous cultural associations that had begun their activities in the second half of the 1980s assigned themselves with the task of reviving the Ukrainian culture and language. In 1988, the first center of the Taras Shevchenko Society of the Ukrainian Language was established in the Lviv Region. In time, similar associations were established elsewhere throughout the country. 

In Canada, cultural self-reliance was challenged by assimilation, which resulted in the predominant majority of Ukrainians functionally being Anglophones. Those Ukrainian Canadians concerned with ethnocultural survival responded to the situation in two ways. The traditionalists – the older intelligentsia and some third-generation activists – renewed their efforts to regenerate the language.

The Soviet repression of Ukrainian culture in the 1970s injected a new sense of urgency into the language issue, and the preservation of the Ukrainian language in Canada took on utmost importance for the traditionalists. On the other hand, the majority Anglophone Ukrainians began using English as a medium of Ukrainian-Canadian cultural and religious expression. They felt that language no longer defines one’s ethnocultural identity; one does not have to speak Ukrainian to feel Ukrainian. They defined themselves as Canadians of Ukrainian ancestry. They stressed the importance of English-language publications on Ukrainian subjects and emphasized the non-verbal dimensions of traditional culture. These seemingly contradictory approaches, nonetheless, generated stimulating debates in the Ukrainian community, and especially in the Ukrainian-Canadian press, about the validity of the reconstituted Ukrainian-Canadian culture, the future of the Ukrainian identity in Canada, and relations with Ukraine.  

New Perspective Responds

In response to the varied interests and needs of the diverse UNYF community, both in the Toronto area and in other Canadian centres, the early editorial staff of New Perspectives, made up mostly of UNYF members, worked around their demanding student schedules to produce an English-language paper.

The first editorial committee consisted of Walter Kish, who served as editor and was also the UNYF National President. He was assisted by Michael Cherkas, the design director and Daria Kish, the production assistant.

In the early days, New Perspectives usually came out monthly, depending on the help available. Next to editorial assistance, the greatest challenges were distribution and the generation of advertising.  Nevertheless, the staff of the 1970s and 1980s exhibited great zeal in collecting articles covering all aspects of Ukrainian community life in Canada and abroad.

Lead editorials in the 1970s were bilingual, or even Ukrainian-only, until it became evident that readers were more comfortable with English.  The format of the paper was four pages at first, reaching 24 pages by September 26, 1981.

Owing to insufficient assistance, New Perspectives did not publish between September 1981 and May 1982, but resumed with renewed vigour under a reorganized editorial committee in June of 1982.

Market share during the 1970s and 1980s was fairly healthy: some 3,000 paid subscriptions, including those who subscribed to the parent Ukrainian-language weekly, Novyi shliakh. By 1980, approximately one-third of the paper contained advertisements, which helped to supplement subscription income.  Other youth/student newspapers from this period with which New Perspectives shared its readership base and, occasionally, staff members, were: Ukrainian Echo (Toronto), Student (Edmonton), Oko (Montreal), and Ukrainian Weekly (New Jersey).

The editorial committee introduced a 75-cent charge per copy ($7 a year; $12 for two years) in order to increase the commitment of readers to the paper, thereby stabilizing cash flow.  Editorial cartoons and other graphics were also increased beginning in 1983. 

The period of 1984-89 was the most active and successful in the paper’s history: there were design improvements, further diversification of content, increased advertising and promotions to increase readership and revenue.  New Perspectives reached its zenith in 1984 with the May 25th issue.  It was bigger and bolder and the per-copy charge was dropped. Changes to the layout and style of writing took place. Reorganization and further segmentation of editorial staff duties took place as well.

From May through September 1984, the editorial committee embarked on a marketing experiment: each issue came out dually, the second one was a free edition.  The free edition was dropped off in Toronto and the Niagara Peninsula and transported by willing individuals traveling to Western or Eastern provinces.

1986 saw the introduction of a popular segment by Wsevolod Sokolyk, entitled “Sports Shorts.” But, by 1987 it was becoming more difficult to solicit articles and photos, especially from UNYF members, whose numbers were steadily declining.  Ever ready to respond, New Perspectives began running a series of lead editorials from UNYF national and local executive members, to encourage greater interest among organizational readers.

In 1988, the logo of the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine was embedded in the paper’s masthead for the year; the widely-popular “Liberation News” section was further broadened, a new section was added, entitled “Employment and Careers,” featuring advice from young Ukrainian-Canadian professionals.

Then came the tumultuous events of 1989 in Ukraine and the proclamation of the Year of the Ukrainian Language among Ukrainians in the diaspora. In this year, a lively article series from the Ukrainian-Canadian perspective written by Oksana Wynnyckyj was introduced.

By this time, the number of UNYF of Canada branches and members Canada had fallen significantly, and the focus of attention and activity had moved to the universities, where Ukrainian student activists were rallying behind the work of the RUKH movement and were otherwise engaged in the newly emerging independent Ukraine. The make-up of the New Perspectives editorial committee changed, and by 1990, there were no longer any UNYF members or alumni involved.

In 1987, two long-time contributing writers, Vera Malanczij and Bohdan Kolos, volunteered to produce New Perspectives. They tirelessly took on the editorial responsibilities of the paper, which now came out monthly as an eight-page insert in Noviy shliakh. There was little outside assistance, save for the help from the staff of the parent Ukrainian-language  newspaper. Wynnyckyj and Sokolyk continued their popular columns. Yurko Hanas had a column called “From My Perspective” and a writer under the pseudonym Anastasia, wrote a social column.  Every issue also featured a comic strip by Mark Mykytiuk.

The January/February 1993 issue of New Perspectives was the final one. It contained interviews with Zenia Kushpeta, relating to her humanitarian work with the Nadiya-Dzherelo project, and Ian Ihnatowycz, currently rated as one of Canada’s top-10 equity fund managers – along with a farewell editorial written by Malanczij.

After New Perspectives ceased publication, there was no English-language content available for Novyi shliakh readers until 1999. In that year, an English page was added and, in time, this number increased to four pages. 

New Perspectives Editorial Committees

1977-79: Editor: Walter Kish (UNYF National President); Design Director: Michael Cherkas; Production Assistant: Daria Kish

1979: Editor: Zenowij Zwarycz; Members: Roman Waschuk, Taras Pidzamecky (later, UNYF National President)

1980: Layout and Design: Sonia Maryn

1981: Members: Bohdan Kozy, Robert Hoshowsky (Raoul Semehelian), Ulana Plawuszczak (UNYF National President)

1982: Members: Marco Bojcun (Taras Lehkyj), Bohdan Maksymjuk, Lu Taskey, Walter Korobaylo, Steve Kostelnyj, Gayle Chapryk

1983: Editor: Marco Bojcun (Taras Lehkyj); Members: Darka Ivanochko, Wolodymyr Lewytskyj, Alexandra Radkewycz

1984: Editor: Roman Waschuk; Managing Editor: Bohdan Kozy; Layout/Graphics: Robert Hoshowsky; Sales Manager: Steve Kostelnyj; Financial Manager: Roman Stepczuk; Writers: Darka Ivanochko, Tamara Ivanochko, Wolodymyr Lewyckyj, Bohdan Maksymjuk, Taras Pidzamecky, Ulana Plawuszczak, Alexandra Radkewycz,  Raoul Semehelian,  Zenko Zwarycz; Liberation News:  Taras Lehkyj; Photographers: Walter Korobaylo, Walter Krasilowecz, Nestor Mykytyn, Lu Taskey

Dec.’84-Jan.’85: Chief Editor/Layout: Robert Hoshowsky

1985: Writer: Christine Swidryk

1986: Writers: Jeffrey Stefaniuk, Wsevolod Sokolyk, Zenon Waschuk, Taras Jackiw  (UNYF National President), Marilyn Onucky, Orysia Sawchak, George Serhijczuk

1987-1993: Editors: Vera Malanczij, Bohdan Kolos