51^st SUSK Congress

By Marta Iwanek

Coming into the SUSK Congress, Volodymr Viguiliouk did not know what to expect. With the  Congress now over, he feels it was “inspirational.”

The Treasurer at the Ukrainian Student’s Club at York University in Toronto and newly elected VP of Finance in SUSK, Viguiliouk said the Congress opened his eyes to the support system that existed for Ukrainian student clubs across Canada and gave him more of a unified feeling with other clubs. “If we unite ourselves together it multiplies the effectiveness of our efforts and our organizations,” Viguiliouk said.

SUSK (Soyuz Ukrains’kykh Studentiv Kanady) which stands for the Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union held its annual congress at St. Vladimir Institute in Toronto from February 20 to 22. The Congress provided an occasion for Ukrainian student clubs across Canada to come together and share the experiences they had running their activities throughout the year as well as address issues within the SUSK organization. The Congress also included guest speakers who spoke on topics ranging from effective fundraising skills, to the issue of human-trafficking, to how history still affects the present with a presentation on Zakerzonnia.

All clubs showed a united effort in promoting Holodomor awareness throughout their campuses and hope to address other issues like anti-human trafficking initiatives. Many delegates discussed how it is important to get not only the Ukrainian community involved, but other non-Ukrainian organizations interested as well. Additional issues raised were to increase communication among Ukrainian student clubs in Canada using resources like Skype or a monthly newsletter like Student as well as have more contact with student organizations in Ukraine. This was to further SUSK as an active umbrella organization so that it does not seem so “shadowy” a figure anymore.

The Congress’s location in Toronto and the Southern Ontario Region, where there is a high population of Ukrainians, did not disappoint in its promise to increase attendance numbers. Organizers were expecting a larger turnout than the previous year’s congress, and had 70 registered people.

“Without interest we wouldn’t be able to do anything,” said Tamara Mischena outgoing SUSK President, citing that there was a great turnout of delegates with a total of 65 from all over Canada, compared to last year’s number of under 50.

In the evening of the first day of the Congress, there was a banquet at the Golden Lion Restaurant with an awards ceremony and leaders in the Ukrainian community in attendance, including Borys Wrzesnewskyj, MP for Etobicoke Centre, members from the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce and SUSK alumni.

“It was the old guard with the new guard,” said Viguiliouk. “When they say ‘We believe in you’ it gives us more confidence, initiative and moral support to continue our traditions, language and culture and carry these elements of “Ukrainianism” to the next generation.”

The evening’s activities ended with a zabava that filled the banquet hall to its 450 person capacity with people still being turned away at the door.

Next year’s congress location was decided to be held in Western Canada, to allow easier access for clubs in that particular region and gain more participation from the West. Marco Jacuta,  President of the University of Alberta’s Ukrainian Students’ Society and newly elected SUSK President is looking forward to meeting with this year’s new, “diverse” executive. “A lot has been done and a lot more is to come,” he said.

Also in attendance were those showing interest in starting student clubs at universities where a Ukrainian student club does not currently exist. These included Ryerson (Toronto), Brock (St. Catharines) and the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto.

“SUSK is a platform to address issues and represent the Ukrainian community,” said Artem Luhovy, SUSK President in 2007 and former president of the McGill University Ukrainian Students’ Association. He said he was looking forward to the SUSK Congress all year long. “Whenever I come out of a SUSK Congress, it’s very uplifting,” he said. “I just want to get back to work and get projects done.”