UCC - Forging Ahead

By Volodymyr Kish

I had the memorable experience this past weekend of attending the XXIII Triennial Congress of Ukrainian Canadians in Edmonton.  I had never been to one before, and based on the stories of some of my colleagues who had been to previous ones, I had a certain amount of trepidation.  This was based on the fact that certain previous congresses had been less exercises of unity and constructive strategizing, and more a staging ground for political power games and polemical debates.

As it turned out, the weekend proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable mix of interesting and relevant presentations and workshops, constructive dialogue, outstanding entertainment and inspiring fellowship all around.  The three days encompassed a thorough analysis of the current issues facing the Ukrainian community in Canada today, with a good balance between the external aspects, i.e. relations with Ukraine, and the internal challenges of dealing with the current state and future development of the Ukrainian community in Canada.

On the external side, a strong consensus was reached on the necessity of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress continuing to strengthen its influence and lobbying efforts with the Canadian government, this being the most effective way of bringing appropriate pressure to bear on the Ukrainian government to uphold human rights, national independence, historical and linguistic integrity, and the creation of a strong civil society in Ukraine.  The Congress reaffirmed the importance of setting up an office in Ottawa to achieve this goal, and the development of appropriate media and policy resource materials to deal effectively with the various federal ministries that affect Canada – Ukraine relations. To this end, some particularly cogent input was provided by the former Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine, Derek Fraser, and the former Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada, Yuri Scherbak.

In terms of internal affairs, much of the discussions and workshops centred around three themes – community development, engaging the youth and the role of the Ukrainian language within the Ukrainian community in Canada.

On this latter point, there was strong agreement that today’s practical realities dictate that the UCC and its constituent organizations need to function in a bilingual manner, be it Ukrainian – English or Ukrainian – French depending on the local environment.  At the same time, it is evident that language is an important component of the Ukrainian identity and effective strategies need to be developed to promote the learning of the Ukrainian language amongst our younger generations.  In particular, we must be creative in making the learning process more effective and relevant through the use of today’s digital media technologies and providing  better support to non-Ukrainian speaking individuals whether young or old.

The engagement of our younger generations was made one of the key priorities of the UCC for the future, and it was encouraging to see that successful efforts had been made to ensure that there was significant representation from the various Ukrainian youth organizations at the Congress.  It was proposed that a youth advisory council be created to ensure that the interests of the younger generation were properly prioritized and acted upon by the UCC.  But perhaps even more important, was the strong determination to have direct youth representation on all of the UCC’s working groups and committees.  Aside from the representational benefits, it would serve as a practical means of developing leadership skills and experience.

The other major focus of discussion throughout the weekend’s many plenary sessions and workshops was how to interest and engage the vast majority of the 1.2 million Canadians who identify themselves as Ukrainians but who are not involved in any of the existing organizational structures that are represented under the UCC umbrella.  Obviously, some research needs to be done first to come to a better understanding of the current situation and try to determine what factors might be effective in stimulating the interests of this large segment of the Ukrainian community.  The new UCC Board was tasked to initiate such research and develop strategies and mechanisms for addressing this crucial issue.

At the end, virtually everyone came away not only satisfied with the results of the Congress, but also re-energized and convinced that the UCC not only can but will be playing a crucial and indispensable role in shaping a better and stronger future for the Ukrainian community in Canada.