“Today is day 26,” says Larisa Hayduk. It’s how the director of MacEwan’s Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC) has opened her comments at almost every meeting she’s had since February 24, the first day of the war in Ukraine.
“Ukraine will never be the same, the Ukrainian Canadian community will never be the same and the URDC will never be the same,” she says.
The moment the URDC received word of the invasion, says Hayduk, its work shifted gears. With ongoing projects grinding to a halt, a whole new set of initiatives to support students, faculty and staff at MacEwan and at the university’s partner universities in Ukraine began.
“As a post-secondary institution, we recognize what our unique strengths are – academics and supporting students,” says Dr. Jeffrey Stepnisky, associate professor of sociology and Kule Chair of Ukrainian Community and International Development. “And we set out to see how we could use those strengths to help.”
Overnight, a core community of MacEwan faculty and staff with connections to Ukraine came together to find ways to help.
5 ways the MacEwan community can help
The core group set out to support students at MacEwan with ties to Ukraine, stay in daily contact with colleagues at partner universities in Ukraine and to act as a resource for the many people reaching out to the URDC in search of information and ways to provide support.
Within hours of the war beginning, the group had compiled a resource guide outlining five ways that individuals can support Ukraine – donating to charitable organizations, accessing reliable news and information sources, taking part in demonstrations, communicating with government officials, and fostering care and community.
“We were so incredibly touched by the number of people reaching out to us from within the MacEwan community and beyond,” says Hayduk. “Many were lacking information about what was happening in Ukraine and this was an important way of helping to meet that need.”
Attend a performance
Countering disinformation
At the same time, members of the core group were establishing a URDC Ukraine Library Subject Guide to help counter disinformation and share resources about Ukraine as a state and nation, Ukrainian culture and scholarship, podcasts, research institutes and more. The guide opens with some brief context on the current situation and links to a variety of resources held by MacEwan and other library partners.
“Our hope is that people will read a book or short news article, listen to a podcast and engage with these resources in ways that can help deepen their understanding of Ukraine,” says Dr. Stepnisky who worked on the guide alongside Librarian Lindsey Whitson and URDC Research Assistant Kalyna Somchynsky.
Building community
A community forum scheduled days after the conflict began drew close to 100 attendees and has morphed into weekly sessions. Every Friday since March 4, students, faculty and staff have come together to support one another in a safe, inviting space.
Finding the way forward
“We see Ukrainian faculty and students at our four partner universities – National University Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Ukrainian Catholic University, Ternopil National Medical University, and Lviv National Music Academy – mobilizing, delivering humanitarian aid and engaging in campaigns against disinformation,” says Hayduk. “And we are dedicated to finding ways we can support them.”
Numerous efforts and plans are underway to support faculty and students in Ukraine who returned to online learning this week, to redirect funds toward humanitarian aid in the country and Erin Wright at MacEwan International has been working to welcome future MacEwan students from Ukraine through the university’s international office.
As the war continues, thoughts are already being directed toward what will come when it ends.
“In speaking with our colleagues in Ukraine, one of the biggest concerns they have is that people who leave the country will not come back – that Ukraine will suffer a kind of ‘brain drain’ when this all ends,” says Hayduk. “We are committed to working with our partners to develop ways to help address that concern. It will be such an important part of helping Ukraine rebuild.”