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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛЮТИЙ 201 2 WWW. UNWLA.ORG 15 Since November 1999, when International Mother Language Day was p roclaimed by UNESCO ( United Nations Educational, Scientific , and Cultural Organization), this designated day has been observed every year on February 21 st. UNESCO's goal, built upon the guidelines of the United Nations, was to promote cultural diversity an d multilingualism. In August 2011 , the Party of Regions of Ukraine proposed a draft law entitled “On the Principles of the State Language Policy of Ukraine . ” Although this draft law does not neces - sarily focus on the Russian language, it ensures that the latter has the same status as does the Ukrainian language. Under this law, Russian would be a regional language in 13 out of Ukraine’s 27 administrative regions . The Venice Commission (VC), the Council of Europe’s ad - visory body on constitutional matters, announced in December 2011 that, upon examining the bill, it (the Com mission) found that the bill did not have enough guarantees for the usage and protection of the Ukrainian language as the single official lang - u age , in compliance with the current Con stitution of Ukraine. The VC confirmed the general prin - ciple to be used by al l countries — that is, that granting the right to use regional and minority languages should not hinder the use of the country’s official language. It further stated that enabling the Ukrainian language to play a unifying role in so ciety and the state would positively motivate the people who reside in Ukraine to learn Ukrainian. At the same time, however, everybody should be free to use the language which they consider na tive. L anguage is the most powerful instrument of preserving and developing our heritage . The Ukrainian language and culture have been sub - jected to centuries of persecution and oppression, but one would hope that, in the environment of an independent Ukraine, th ey would finally have a chance to thrive. However, due to the current situation in Ukraine as described above, it is evident that there is no cause to celebrate The International Mother Language Day in Ukraine in 2012. It will be our goal for the next f ew months to further introduce, inform , and excite our readers about the most recent and extremely important project of the UNWLA — the Women’s/ Gender Studies Endowment at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine. This month, we feature the Englis h translation of an article written by Iryna Koshulap regarding the opinions of honored guests at the National Board meeting in October (page 16 ). These experts on gender and women's studies were invited to discuss the significance of this project to Ukrai nian society at the present time. One would naturally expect to associate women’s studies with women’s or fe - min ist organizations, whether it be in Ukraine or elsewhere. It is a well - known fact that women’s organizations in Ukraine flourished in number s ince 1990. They were part of the general social awakening and went hand in hand with the birth of new political ideals. Years l ater , however, it became clear that the patriotically inclined orga - nizations “lost” their mission after the emergence of an inde pendent Ukraine. Most of today’s women’s organizations in Ukraine focus on social and cultural programs . According to the contri - butors to Women’s Movements — Networks and Debates in Post - Communist Countries , an im - port ant volume edited by Edith Saurer, tod ay’s Ukrainian women’s organizations can be divided into two categories: traditional (hierarchal and engaging in activities which are public and political) and community (working on informal relations). Neither of these has or is able to address the questi on at hand : What is the best avenue to reach the younger adults in Ukraine and reformulate young women’s self - image as well as reinforce a heal thy husband/wife/family dynamic ? The answer seems clear — THROUGH EDUCATION. The pyramid effect of education should not be minimized. Should one UCU stu - d ent become a teacher, she/he can influence hun - d reds of children in Ukraine throughout her/his career. This one UCU graduate who has been privy to the aw akening of a new self - image as well as life’s potentials can pa ss these new expecta - tions along to stu dents in any corner of Ukraine ! Together, as the program evolves and continues, these students can shine the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Education is the key ! The most important gift the diaspora can g ive Ukrain e is support for a renewed future. This is our goal , and we seek the support of our communities. The proposed Endowment funds will be banked with the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation in Chicago and will remain in the United States. The a nnual interest will be used to fund a lectureship which will be central to the
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