Ukraine's students present themselves as pragmatic optimists (08/24/97)

UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE: THE SIXTH ANNIVERSARY

Ukraine's students present themselves as pragmatic optimists

by Irene Jarosewich

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - They sounded optimistic and upbeat. Their elders offered figures and statistics that depicted a country mired in political stagnation and economic crisis - a situation they acknowledge, yet one that leaves them unfazed.

In particular, all seemed confident in their chances at individual success. With regard to their country, one young woman in her early twenties bluntly stated her opinion about the effectiveness of the current leadership: "They all will die eventually, some of them, hopefully, very soon, and we will live longer than them anyway," and another young man later added, "You must remember, most of us expect to live another 50 years."

These pragmatic optimists were the students from Ukraine who took part in this year's Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute, and spoke recently at a student roundtable held in conjunction with the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute's "Ukraine Since Independence" symposium on July 31-August 2.

Ranging in age from 18 to 26, the 20 students who each gave a brief presentation about a topic of his or her choice appeared poised and confident. And well they should be. A short survey of 15 of the 20 students provided some interesting results: all listed Russian as a language in which they were fluent or highly competent, all except one listed English, and all except two listed Ukrainian - the exceptions listed that they only had basic competence in these languages. Therefore, almost everyone felt comfortable in at least three languages, a good basis for confidence and optimism about future success. In addition, half listed German and half listed Polish as additional languages in which they felt they also had fluency, or basic competency, and others included French, Spanish and Belorusian; one listed Farsi.

Most are well-traveled, having been outside Ukraine several times. Half have been to Moscow as tourists, or for family reasons, and only a few to St. Petersburg or other destinations in Russia. Half have also been to Poland several times, also as tourists, but more often to participate in international student delegations, conferences and for studies. Many have been to the U.S. or Canada before, generally as exchange students, for some type of educational program. For a variety of reasons, and several times, most have traveled to countries near Ukraine: Belarus, the Baltics, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania. Other European destinations included Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, for purposes of education as well as tourism. One person has traveled to Egypt, another has been to Cuba.

For strictly personal enjoyment they hope someday to visit countries as varied as New Zealand and Australia, Kenya, South Africa, the U.S., (for nature and recreation), France, Spain, Italy, Greece (to absorb culture), Israel (home to three great world religions), or take a trip around the world. One student chose a three-month, all-expense-paid trip around Ukraine, "a great country," as a personal travel preference.

However, when asked where they would travel for professional development the same few countries were consistently chosen: Germany, Austria, Switzerland (best training in banking, finance, best research archives); U.S., England, Canada (best educational opportunities, state-of-the art technologies, management training, politics). One student, however, would like to travel to Iran to participate in an archaeological dig.

At the end of the survey, one wrote about Ukraine, "It is very nice to travel, to feel independent, but know that somewhere there is your home to which you will return."

At the roundtable, the students' presentations were varied touching upon personal ambitions and experiences, as well as opinions and analyses of numerous political, economic and social topics.

Economic reform is seen as the path to personal independence. "We want economic independence from our parent's money - to not have to depend on them," according to one. Most felt that Ukraine would pull itself out of the economic crisis, and that cultural, spiritual and political development would follow.

Several times the students emphasized that "unity in diversity" is the best strategy to develop Ukraine's national identity, since "it is a practical reality, and there is a basis for this in regional and national identity," and that "Ukraine is the perfect country to embody such an identity." They also noted that it was time to get rid of the Halychyna/eastern Ukraine dichotomy, the "Russified" vs. "Polonized" frame of reference and ethnic and language divisions, and that national identity "was just being developed, let's give it time."

One student firmly believes that the Ukrainian language "will become an integrating factor of national identity, therefore it is not necessary to emphasize it as a dividing and divisive factor. The language issue requires great wisdom, tolerance, ... and it is the responsibility of each Ukrainian language speaker to raise the prestige and possibilities of the language, not the responsibility of the Russian speaker."

Echoing the national identity balancing act is acceptance among the students of the Ukrainian government's current international strategy of integration into European structures, while at the same time trying to get along with the countries of the CIS.

Several students referred to a problem that can be summarized as "the Soviet within us," allusions to old habits, such as discouraging teamwork, withholding information, viewing competition as bad, perceiving most things and people as a potential threat or enemy, preferring to destroy rather than resolve, cultivating distrust, lying. "Where we will go will depend on how well we will overcome the Soviet within us," noted one student, "Ukraine's biggest challenge right now is individual victory over oneself." Another added, "The ability to cooperate is an acquired social skill, and requires experience, habit, appropriate social conditions."

Almost 50/50 male/female, the students were from Luhansk and Lviv, Crimea and Kyiv; they are representative of Ukraine's youth, but not typcial. Highly motivated, well-traveled, they have, for the time being, avoided many of the problems that have beset most others of their generation.

In their presentations they did not ignore the negatives in their lives, but no doubt chose to emphasize the positive. They spoke of social, economic and political problems from a student's perspective, but, except for a brief exchange about the inevitability of doing some sort of illegal work to survive, seemed to bypass the problem that confronts most of their generation: finding a decent job, a legitimate source of income. Fewer and fewer jobs are available, and mostly low-paying ones, even for educated and trained individuals, especially in the oblasts. Many of their generation, even if both skilled and educated, are permanently drifting into the less legitimate aspects of the shadow economy. Others are traveling outside Ukraine to find even short-term employment. Though a-national, transient, migratory labor forces, skilled and unskilled, may be the employment wave of the globalized future, the verdict is still out on what sort of impact this will have on a country's political, civic and social fabric, especially in a country like Ukraine, where it has already been shredded.

These students unabashedly consider themselves to be the leadership material of Ukraine's future. Perahps Harvard will host a reunion for these progmatic optimists in 25 years so that we can hear whether or not their expectations have been fulfilled.

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