EDITORIAL: Joint Conferences: a new model (07/04/99)

EDITORIAL

Joint Conferences: a new model

The recent Joint Conferences of Ukrainian American Organizations held outside of Washington was terrific, excellent. Coordinated with volunteer effort - the first effort to bring together, simultaneously, several professional associations and community organizations - it was a resounding success. Congratulations to the organizers and to all the panel participants!

The five-day event reflected a very high level of professional achievement among individuals in the Ukrainian American community, a continuing commitment to their heritage, as well as concern for the ongoing challenge of making the new Ukraine a much better country. More than a half dozen professional associations and several community organizations presented panel after panel of interesting information, new ideas, reports of achievements, recognition of failures. These conferences made it clear that Ukrainian Americans feel comfortable combining their commitment to Ukraine with their commitment to their profession. It was important for us to see what we intuitively knew: that it is no small feat to straddle two worlds, and this group of presenters and participants proved not only that it can be done, but done well.

Besides the conference panels, the schedule included a variety of other events - receptions, banquets, tours, cultural presentations and exhibits. The wide variety of events was reflected in the diversity of the people attending. The conference audience and panelists ranged from students to retirees - the vast majority were in the age range of 25-55; from surgeons, engineers, executives, attorneys and designers to public policy experts - top professionals in many fields from the United States, Canada and Ukraine. Of the more than 600 attending the conferences, and close to 800 at the gala banquet, most had traveled to Ukraine and many have or do work there. In short, an impressive group of individuals.

The gathering was also a satisfying community event, especially to those who remember another event 35 years ago to the day - June 27, 1964 - the unveiling of the Taras Shevchenko Monument in a small park in Washington. The unveiling of the statue also was a tremendous occurrence: it was one of the very first large-scale events that brought together the post-war and pre-war immigrants from the many corners of this country and was symbolic of the determination of Ukrainian Americans. The Joint Conferences allowed us to take a moment to quickly reflect on those 35 years - and the speed with which they have passed - and take a moment to take pride in our achievements.

The keynote speaker at the gala banquet on Saturday evening, Vice-President Al Gore's national security adviser, Leon Fuerth, seemed unprepared for the achievements and degree of commitment reflected in the audience seated before him and readily admitted, "I was going to conclude my speech with a challenge to your community to get involved in helping Ukraine, but I now see that you've risen to the challenge. Whatever you're doing now - do as much of that and more - that very well may make the difference. ... I salute you for doing what I've just learned that you are doing here ..."

Throughout the five-day event, people relaxed, enjoyed themselves, and talked and talked and talked. There was a palpable sense of friendliness and intimacy and comfort among the participants. We can only hope that this event provided a new model of cooperation for the future for our associations and organizations - the synergy that the conference organizers had envisioned.

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