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OUR LIFE Monthly, published by Ukrainian National Women’s League of America VOL. XXXIX NOVEMBER 1982 EDITED BY A. H. Sawyckyj Viewpoint REFLECTIONS ON THE UKRAINIAN WOMEN’S CONFERENCE by Anisa Handzia Sawyckyi It has been said: “Greater than the tread of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come.” This observation came to mind as six hundred women from all over the U.S. and Canada gathered on October 2 & 3, 1982 at Soyuzivka for the “Ukrainian Woman in Two Worlds” Conference. We are women of America whose lives are both en riched and complicated by another dimension of existence: a strong identification with a Ukrainian heritage that preoccupies us much of the time. We came to the Conference to assess our needs, evaluate out strengths and weaknesses and make plans for the future. The topics covered at the Conference ranged from intermarriage to political activism, from Ukrainian language to the problems of working women, and much more. In fact, the scope of this Conference went far beyond what had traditionally been considered wo men’s issues; rather, the topics are of continuing con cern to the entire Ukrainian community. Nevertheless, Ukrainian women as a group have special perspectives on these topics and it is upon these perspectives that the Conference focused. We welcome the men who attended the Conference and we applaud their support for women’s activism. The Conference utilized the best of both of our two worlds: it had a Ukrainian heart and an American frame work. It is our Ukrainian connection that brought us together. It is our Ukrainian heart that enabled a small group of women on the Conference Organizing Com mittee to devote a year’s time and energy to planning this event, from broad concept to smallest organization detail. It was also a Ukrainian heart which made numerous individuals outside the Committee reach out and help us in many of our tasks. The American framework of the conference is the second crucial component. The format of the Con ference was innovative. An important aspect of Con ference planning in this past year was the use of target marketing techniques in our promotional campaign. We packaged the Conference image nicely, too, with a striking logo and a host of other printed pieces with quality and style, designed by the Committee’s Art Director Marianna Chaikovsky. We took our task seriously and applied professional standards to this project, with successful results. The idea for a Conference which would address the needs of a new generation of Ukrainian women in America came from Ivanna Rozankowsky, President of UNWLA. In November 1981, an Organizing Committee, consisting of both members and non-members of UNWLA, was called together to plan the Conference. For many women on the Conference Organizing Com mittee, the hours were long, the deadlines continuous, but ultimately our year-long efforts paid off. The success of the Conference is attributable to the infrastructure provided by the Organizing Committee, the preparation of panels by moderators and panelists, and active discussion by Conference participants at the panels they attended. An inspiring and informative talk by Dr. Martha Bohachevsky-Chomiak on the history of the Ukrainian wom en’s movement enthralled Conference attendees, and gave women a sense of the value of their input into the Ukrainian nation and their communities. An exhibit of Ukrainian fine and folk arts, as well as a concert by women performing artists, ap pealed to the love of Ukrainians for music and the arts. Obviously, a two-day event cannot resolve the com plex problems of an individual or a community. The function of this Conference has been to raise an awareness of important issues and begin to devise solutions for them. But solutions require a long-term commitment. A number of specific suggestions for action were made at the Conference, which need further discussion and planning. Additional suggestions were made on Conference evaluation forms filled out by at tendees at the conclusion of the weekend. These, too, require further analysis. We look forward to hearing from Conference attendees (as well as those who could not attend) on the ways in which they would like to continue the ideas and spirit of the Ukrainian Women’s Conference. Remember, it was the response by Ukrainian women all over the country to the Organizing Commit tee’s questionnaire in February 1982 that enabled the Committee to plan a Conference that addressed Ukrainian women’s needs. In the same way, it will be feedback from Conference attendees — whether in the
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