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4 OUR LIFE • June 2023 This year, UNWLA President Natalie Paw- lenko has been busy visiting UNWLA branches. As part of her “VidViddil 2023” campaign, she had visited close to 30 of our 62 Branches by the end of May. In this issue’s President’s column (page 3), Natalie outlined the five reasons why in-per - son visits to UNWLA Branches are impor - tant: they improve communication, build trust, increase understanding, enhance en- gagement, and identify leadership. In the following interview, the UNWLA President describes what she has observed during her field visits to various Branches. Our Life: Visiting all 62 UNWLA Branches in one year is a big undertaking. Why did you decide to take on this task? Natalie Pawlenko: My sense is that our organization is undergoing one of those major shifts that happen when there are profound changes in the environment. The UNWLA has seen these types of ma- jor changes in the past. But today, russia’s war on Ukraine, technology, our changing demographics, and the inflow of women from Ukraine to the U.S. are factors con - verging at once. I felt that it was important to understand the impact of these changes at the Branch level and that the best way to do this would be in person. OL: What have you learned from visiting the Branches thus far? NP: What stands out for me most consist - ently across all the Branches I’ve visited is the deep dedication of our members. The war on Ukraine – especially its ferocity and brutality – is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime challenge that we have not seen since World War II. Our organization as a whole has ris- en to the challenge, and we could not have done so without all our members who have worked very hard and very passionately in support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. VidViddil: In Person with Natalie Pawlenko VidViddil A combination of two Ukrainian words: vidvidyny (visits) + viddil (Branch). A UNWLA original! OL: You mentioned demographic changes. Tell us more about that. NP: Interestingly, we are growing and shrinking at the same time. Some Branches have experienced an unprec- edented inflow of new members who need an orientation to the organization. Naturally, this should come from the executive level at each Branch. But what if the Branch leadership is relatively new, too? To address this growing challenge, we are planning a series of monthly workshops for new members. In the meantime, new Branch leaders (and, indeed, all new members) are encouraged to visit the member portal on the UNWLA website (www.unwla. org) to familiarize themselves with the wealth of informa- tion available there. And while some Branches are growing, other older Branches (sadly) are making hard decisions about whether to continue trying to recruit new members or close the Branch. There are not many of these instances, which is good. There are also shining ex - amples of Branches where the older members work effectively with the younger members. Branches experiencing difficulties in harmonizing members of different age groups should reach out to other Branches to learn how they have managed this dynamic. OL: How has technology impacted the UNWLA? NP: Rapid changes in communication technology have had an impact on every aspect of society. For the UNWLA, this has manifested in a change in our communication patterns. Historically, the National Board or Executive communicated updates to the Regional Councils or Branches-at-Large liai- sons, who then transmitted the information to Branch pres- idents, who then shared it with Branch members. The resources we have available today (email, video con - ferencing, social media, etc.) have profoundly changed this. The national level communicates via the UNWLA website, social media channels, and weekly newsletter directly with all members (and the public). Branches can communicate directly with all levels of the organization at any time. This change in information flows will require a rethinking of the expectations of various parts of the organization vis-à-vis communications. OL: Do you plan to complete VidViddil this year? NP: I hope so, but one never knows what new challenges might come our way in the next few months! Sharing the work done at the National level and hearing about the ac- complishments at the Branch level have made for a power - ful exchange of information. I could not be prouder of this organization, our devoted members, and the work that we have accomplished together this past year. I look forward to all the future discussions and in-person meetings with my UNWLA sisters.
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