Project name: Ukrainians in North York
The Opening Ceremony of the 1st ever Ukrainian Summer camp in North York for kids JK to grade 8! This initiative is organized by the non-registered, non-profit organization “Ukrainians in North York”. The camp is offering a unique opportunity to engage in educational and cultural activities while enjoying a fun-filled summer. The camp is run by parent-volunteers & community members, during 2 weeks of July.
Project name: Creative Inclusion, Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Toronto Chapter, 2022 – Present
Scope: Creative Inclusion project was started in November 2022 by two avid volunteers, Liz Zur and Olena Diachenko as a way to allow displaced children to artistically express themselves and develop friendships. To ensure inclusion of children with special needs, a number of spots were reserved for children with developmental disabilities. This project currently runs on the weekend at three different locations in Toronto, offering two groups for younger children from 3 to 7 years old and one rapidly expanding group for older children from 8 to 13 years old. This project operates under the auspices of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Toronto Chapter, that’s been especially attentive to supporting newcomers arriving with disabled children.
Alignment with TUF identity: Education
Partners: Ukrainian Canadian Congress Toronto Chapter, Taras Shevchenko Foundation, St. Martin’s In The Fields Anglican Church, St. George on Yonge Anglican Church, Anglican Church of the Redeemer
Objective: Welcome 50 newcomer families from Ukraine to participate in regular inclusive art classes for children in a tolerant and accepting environment for participants with special needs. In addition to that, families enjoy outdoor events in public parks and beaches in the summer as well as complimentary trips to local museums. This project focuses on introducing displaced Ukrainian children with and without disabilities so they can enjoy spending time together and enrich each other’s lives.
Recurring Projects
Project name: “Yearly Remembrance Day Commemoration”
Scope: An afternoon event on the Sunday closest to the date of November 11th held at the Ukrainian park on Scarlett Road near St. Demetrius Ukrainian Catholic Church, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Alignment with TUF identity: Education
Partners: The Ukrainian Canadian Congress Toronto Branch, Ukrainian Canadian Veterans’ Fund, Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada
Objective: To hold a dignified remembrance ceremony for the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms and democratic values, in all of the conflicts of the past century. Our objective was to raise awareness by achieving attendance levels of >200 individuals including choirs, various concert bands or various Royal Canadian Regiment Bands, members of parliament, the Ontario legislature, municipal government representatives, youth groups such as Canadian Cadets, PLAST scouting organization, the Ukrainian Youth Association, Veteran groups and the community at large.
Holodomor Awareness and Education Initiatives
The Holodomor (literally “death by hunger”) is the modern name of the artificial famine that was imposed on the Ukraine Soviet Socialist Republic in 1932-1933 to break opposition to Russian authority and to maximize collection of grain that could be sold abroad to raise money for industrialization. Each year, TUF supports the efforts of various community groups in educating the Canadian public about this horrific act. A yearly community commemoration is held the 4th Saturday of November at the newly opened Holodomor Memorial located on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds just inside of the Prince’s Gates.