Lviv is the first city in Ukraine, where International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations of Lviv Polytechnic National University presented its educational project «Young people about Ukrainian World Congress» dedicated to UWC 50th anniversary on March 29, 2017.
– This year, Ukraine and the world mark Ukrainian World Congress 50th anniversary. UWC is an international coordinating superstructure of Ukrainian communities abroad, which represents interests of more than 20 million Ukrainians and has a network of constituent organizations and relations with Ukrainians in 53 countries. We are in for some large-scale celebrations of this anniversary on many continents in dozens of countries as well as in Ukraine – in Lviv, in Lviv Polytechnic National University. UWC 50th anniversary celebration at the international level began at a conference in Toronto, which was held on February 26, 2017. Today, we begin celebrations in Ukraine with our presentation. We start the year of celebrating UWC 50th anniversary in Ukraine, – Andriy Yatsiv, deputy director of IIEC, Presentation moderator, said.
Yuriy Bobalo, Lviv Polytechnic Rector, greeted those present at the event. He said that Ukrainian World Congress and Lviv Polytechnic have their own history of co-operation:
– It includes joint Congresses, conferences, UWC annual meetings, 10th Jubilee UWC Congress, hundreds of presentations of communities and separate UWC figures work in the walls of the University. In 2016, University Academic Board awarded the honorary title of Doctor Honoris Causa to UWC President Mr. Eugene Czolij.
Yuriy Bobalo stressed that Lviv Polytechnic will remain a reliable partner for Ukrainian diaspora, united by Ukrainian World Congress. .
It was very important for Lviv Polytechnic, for IIEC, and especially for the students, that honorary guests from UWC, Iryna Mytsak (Toronto, Canada) and Serhiy Kasyanchuk (Kyiv, Ukraine), were present at the presentation of the project «Young people about Ukrainian World Congress».
Iryna Mytsak, Head of the World commission for marking UWC 50th anniversary, expressed sincere gratitude for the initiative and realization of such interesting youth project:
– Can you imagine united energy and commitment of every Ukrainian in the world, who believes in Ukraine’s boundless potential. This power is Ukrainian World Congress. It is important that this year, students-journalists from Lviv Polytechnic joined the cause of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations. They created a number of short videos dedicated to UWC anniversary, realizing in certain deeds the motto «Ukrainians stand united – the future is ours», which will be used for various events marking UWC 50th anniversary on different continents, in different countries and in Ukraine – in Kyiv and in Lviv.
Serhiy Kasyanchuk, director of Ukrainian World Congress Office in Ukraine, urged all those present together with UWC to serve Ukraine:
– UWC is about realizing a popular wisdom «if we are united, we are strong» in practice. It is powerful form of combining experience of different generations, sacrificing work and sincere love for Ukraine. So, dear friends, let us work together for the development and prosperity of our Ukraine.
This presentation was truly unique because its main characters were first- and second-year students studying Journalism at the Institute of Jurisprudence and Psychology of Lviv Polytechnic National University. They were the ones that agreed to complete a rather complicated task – to tell Ukraine and the world, namely hundreds of thousands of their peers – younger generation of Ukrainians, about Ukrainian World Congress. These students created eight thematic short videos, which illustrate the main fields of UWC work and its history, all by themselves.
After the successful presentation, Iryna Klyuchkovska, Director of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations, member of the International committee for marking UWC 50th anniversary, awarded diplomas to the authors of the videos for their participation in this educational project. Apart from the diplomas, the students also got T-shirts with the logo of their alma mater from the Students and PhD Students Union of Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Olena Medvedyeva, Project manager and coordinator, said:
– This Project «Young people about Ukrainian World Congress» has an important mission. Although UWC has been operating for 50 years now, and its constituent organizations have been functioning even longer, people in Ukraine know little about their fundamental contribution to Ukrainian independence, development of democratic Ukraine, European integration, preserving our national identity, culture, science, promoting our economic development, etc. Thanks to students, Ukrainian society is gradually finding out about the important work of our diaspora for Ukraine.
During 2017–2018, these videos, as part of a big IIEC Project, will be presented in the cities of Ukraine and in 53 countries – UWC members.
Videos, which are the basis of the educational project «Young people about Ukrainian World Congress»:
- «What do you know about Ukrainian World Congress?»
- «Resisting Russian Federation propaganda»
- «Defence of patriots»
- «Commemorating Holodomor victims»
- «Euromaidans in the world»
- «Ukrainian schools in the world»
- «Commemorating T.H. Shevchenko’s work»
- «Ukrainian World Congress President»
Photos – Andriy Savchyshyn, Lviv Polytechnic press service
