Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ТРАВЕНЬ 2016 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 17 Did anything surprise you? Did anything (or anyone) annoy you? When speaking with the head of the Lviv Center of Volunteers I was surprised to hear that many of the people volunteering were Internally Displaced People (IDPs) themselves. It was very nice to see people who had struggled themselves give back and work within society to help others who were struggling . . . but he also mentioned that there was an initial mistrust between people from the East and West. That was to be expected, but what truly annoyed me was the expectations that some IDPs had and the resulting frustrations that they expressed to the wrong people. Many came to the West expecting an existing government enforced social system that could help them with housing and other things. In fact, some IDPs felt entitled to specific treatment corresponding with their rank or position formerly held in the East and took it for granted that others were opening up their homes to give them shelter or providing them with food and clothing. Such expectations may be warranted under certain circumstances, but realistically, the government of Ukraine at the time did not have the capacity to establish ideally functioning social structures. Unfortunately, some of the IDPs took out their frustrations on the volunteers who were actually helping them and also on the people of Lviv, criticizing their inefficiency. This was frustrating and annoying because Lviv, at the time, was taking in over 11,000 displaced people and the resident citizens of Lviv were giving their time and energy to help. Despite their efforts, in certain instances, their work was not only unappreciated but also criti- cized. Another thing that annoyed me was some- thing I discovered while working with the stu- dents at UCU. Some of the students, people my own age, were totally ignorant of what was going on politically in Ukraine. I understand that young people in many countries are frequently unaware of broad political issues, but in America ignorance is a privilege; we have an established political sys- tem that ensures freedom and prevents corrup- tion. In Ukraine, citizens cannot afford to be igno- rant and uninvolved; instead, they must hold the government responsible for internal restructuring and improvement. Did anything depress you? I spoke to some people in Lviv who said that be- side the economic downturn, one wouldn’t even realize that there was fighting on the other side of the country. Life goes on as usual for most people, and I am saddened by how easily we humans be- come desensitized to violence and also by discov- ering how easy it is to forget the big picture when the fighting is “out of sight and out of mind.” Did something (or someone) inspire you? Explain. While at UCU I met a girl who had given up an internship trip to Poland over the summer to vol- unteer and help the families of ATO fighters. This sacrifice was entirely selfless, something she chose to do because she felt that she had a re- sponsibility to help her country and the Ukrainian people in a time of struggle. I do not know many people who would give up an opportunity for per- sonal advancement and enjoyment to help others, but this is what she did and her choice reflected the choice of many other volunteers. You mentioned that you also volunteered to teach English to students at Ukrainian Catholic University. What materials did you use? What were the students like? What did you gain from this experience? A family friend in Ukraine works at UCU, and he recommended the volunteer position. Grammar books and class materials were provided for each level. The students were just like students any- where else—they wanted to learn, some worked hard, some were lazy, most were inquisitive, fun- ny, etc. It’s difficult for me to give an unbiased opinion because most were my age. There were about 25 of us teachers and over 110 students. Each of us taught English class with a co-teacher and also taught three elective classes on any topic we chose. What surprised me was that half of the teachers had absolutely no connection to Ukraine—there were student volunteers from Hawaii and Canada and Venezuela and Europe. It was a little odd that they had chosen to spend their summers volunteering in a faraway country they knew little about, where they didn’t know the language, food, or customs, and where safety was questionable. I know I probably wouldn’t be able to do this if I didn’t have Ukrainian roots. But they did, and as a result, I met many interesting, good people, mostly because that is the kind of person this type of summer activity attracts. As a result, I now have connections around the world. I would highly recommend this program to any- one; it is extremely rewarding, and you get to work with great people in an incredible institution (Ukraine’s first private university) doing some- thing very worthwhile for Ukrainian students.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
