Конференція УНО Канади і БО

UNF National Conference: Forward Looking

By John Pidkowich

The Ukrainian National Federation of Canada held its National  Branch Conference at UNF Toronto’s Community Centre, November 6-7, 2009. The conference was held in conjunction with the Ukrainian National Youth Federation 75^th Anniversary Gala. UNF Board, branch and affiliated organization members, primarily from Eastern Canada with a large UNF/UNYF contingent from Edmonton, met to discuss current branch successes and challenges plus future organizational opportunities.

The Pre-Conference Meet and Greet reception Friday evening provided a basis for socializing and “ice-breaking”, laying the groundwork for more open sharing of ideas during the conference. At Saturday’s morning session, following opening remarks and introductions, UNF National President Taras Pidzamecky presented a UNF Board update on activities since the XXXV National Convention of the UNF and AO.  T. Pidzamecky provided the sense of momentum and direction forward the UNF was taking with activities addressing a changing world and needs of UNF and AO members. UNF program initiatives (especially for youth) through better communication practices were brought to the membership’s and general community’s attention to help strengthen (and retain) the association of the UNF with its most worthwhile events for its members and the public. Financial reporting was provided by UNF of Canada Treasurer Dan Cherkas. His communications point, that meeting face-to-face about difficult fiscal issues, yields far more successful and lasting results. Former UNF National President Jaroslaw Bilak shared more interesting insight into creating a communications system that UNF Branches and members may become comfortable with, the aforementioned UNF Web Portal, that provides them not only useful information, but also becomes an indispensable resource sought after by the community-at-large.

 Exchanging Experiences, a session on UNF and AO Branches discussing their successes, moderated by D. Cherkas, provided the forum for a high rate of participation in a “brainstorming” session on “what works” within a given branch. St. Catharines’ Greg Taras brought to the floor the questions “what do we do for our members? … for our community? … (and) for the broader community? He also noted that a branch Annual General Meeting is the time to tally successes (and losses) before the membership. J. Bilak added that branches do not realise how much they interact with and benefit the larger community – the greater purpose of our organization gives community backing plus needed context for Ukrainian churches to continue to exist. UNF and Ukrainian Women’s Organization branch members from Edmonton, Montreal, Oshawa, St. Catharines, Toronto, Toronto–West, and Windsor shared their branch activities with fellow participants.

As a break from the day’s sessions, Luncheon Guest Speaker Mykola Plawiuk, OUN Head and former UNF National President, spoke on the topic of: “The UNF and Ukraine Today”. He recalled that from their origins, the UNF and AO, and its publication voice The New Pathway, spoke the truth about the goings on in Ukraine to the community and the to rest of the world. Ukraine is making real transition progress in becoming a democracy, more so than other former Soviet states, and one that still allows several billionaires who prefer Ukraine over Russia to operate in business. Another aversion to Russia was growing identification with a national identity, if not wholly Ukrainian as in Western oblasts, then at least partially as “Donetski” in Eastern Ukraine. 

Conducted under constrained timelines, planned afternoon session topics were  “Ideological and Historical Roots of the UNF in Canadian Context” and preparations for the XXXVI National Convention (in 2010). The evening’s UNYF 75^th Anniversary Gala concluded with a Zabava going into the early hours of Sunday.