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28 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ 2014 The XXX UNWLA Convention: Thoughts and Impressions from Delegates Ivanka Olesnycky, Branch 75, New Jersey Regional Council, National Social Welfare Chair: My overall impression of the XXX UN- WLA Convention was that everyone who attended really wanted to be there! A large proportion of the delegates, as well as the Soyuzianky guests, were at a UNWLA convention for the first time and I sensed their eagerness to learn as much as possible about our organization in the relatively short amount of time we had together. Every convention has a unique flavor and this one was about change, commitment, and the overall future of the organization. The convention motto was on target, “The Future of UNWLA is in Our Hands”! It was exciting for me to be at this convention and to feel the synergy that was being created by long- time UNWLA members joining with newer mem- bers who had the same pressing objective in mind—to safeguard the organization and to also develop it to its fullest potential. A few of my convention highlights were: * Hearing the results of the election in Ukraine and cheering along with others who cared as deeply as I did about the outcome of the election and the great voter turnout! * Learning about the 70-year history of the maga- zine Our Life from the words spoken by each of its editors, in a montage of readings prepared espe- cially for the convention. * Listening to the guest speakers who are all in- strumental in the ongoing UNWLA social welfare and educational programs. Each presentation was detailed and very compelling. * Appreciating Dr. Gennadiy Fuzaylov’s (Doctors Collaborating to Help Children) work in collabo- ration with our organization and seeing the pho- tos of the children whose lives have been saved. Yulia Zimmerman, Branch 107 in San Jose, CA, first-time delegate at a UNWLA Convention: I came to the convention to represent my branch, of course, but for me it was also very im- portant to see the faces of actual people behind this organization, to meet Soyuzianky from other corners of the United States. As a woman of Ukrainian descent, I am very interested in the UNWLA; this organization has a lot of experience and I want to be part of a group that has a lot of potential to move forward, so I am really grateful to be here and to meet everyone. The question I came here with, however, is what specific things this organization will be doing in the future. Why should I choose this or- ganization rather than, for example, the commu- nity of Ukrainians whom I met in San Francisco, where I live? My goal in being a member of the UNWLA is not simply to socialize with other Ukrainians. For me, it is about seeing how we can work together to do something for Ukraine, as our homeland now needs help more than ever be- fore... It is also about Ukrainians in America be- cause there are a lot of people who arrived recent- ly, and they need help, too. I really believe that if we help these Ukrainians in America, they will eventually start helping people in Ukraine. I see building such a bridge between Ukraine and America as a worthy goal. Considering the ongoing dramatic change in Ukraine, this is a most important time to be to- gether for all of us. This convention has showed that there are many of us, and that we all have pas- sion and goodwill to work together. What I think we need is a clear, specific plan for the future. For instance, how are we going to build membership in the UNWLA—not only in terms of quantity, but also quality? How are we going to bring in mem- bers from the fourth wave of immigration— including those who maybe do not speak Ukraini- an or do not wear embroidered shirts? They are important people to reach, too! And I think that there are people out there who want to find us. The first place they will look, of course, is the Internet. That is why I think it is vital to modernize the UNWLA website and keep it up to date. The infor- mation there is very valuable, the archives are amazing, but if I go there and see that the content is not updated, I will eventually stop visiting that website. I think it is also very important to make interactivity available to people, and that is why I am a big advocate for the UNWLA Facebook page. That is how people will find us and how we will find other people. Finally, I think that there should be a platform for us who are spread all across America to connect more, network more, and brainstorm more. Coming together for a conven- tion only once every three years, it is difficult to be very specific in our discussions and plans for future projects. Maybe what we need is an opportunity to exchange ideas with each other more often and in a less formal setting...
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