EDITORIAL: Summertime (05/05/02)

EDITORIAL

Summertime

This week's issue of our newspaper contains our annual issue of "A Ukrainian Summer," a tradition we began back in 1997. Through the years we have told our readers about all types of activities for summer enrichment and fun. We've covered venues in the United States and Canada and, of course, Ukraine, where we've tried to highlight a different spot each year. And the types of activities showcased have ranged from that epitome of summertime - camps for our youths - to bandura workshops and dance camps, sports events and day camps for kids, courses in Ukrainian studies and study tours to Ukraine, leadership seminars and ... Well, you get the picture.

Why do we do this? It's simple: it's yet another concrete manifestation of this newspaper's community service. The special section allows us to inform our readers about the many worthwhile summertime activities of which community members may take advantage. It also allows our community organizations to share their plans and programs, as well as their vision, with a broader audience. Thus, The Weekly serves as the conduit of information and the link between individuals and organizations, as the veritable nexus of much of our community life.

In this year's special summer supplement, readers will find information on some activities that are offered from year to year, as well as some that offer a new twist on their programs, for example the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute's very different new course on "Images of Ukraine in Western Culture," which takes a look at representations of Ukraine in literature, music, theater and the visual arts from the 17th through the 20th centuries.

Readers will also find information on a longtime favorite destination of North America's Ukrainians: Soyuzivka. The upstate New York resort this year begins celebrations of its 50th anniversary, as it was in 1952 that the estate was purchased by the Ukrainian National Association. Soyuzivka's dedication in 1953 was seen as a community-wide affair that was greeted with much enthusiasm and was witnessed by 2,000 guests who arrived for the occasion in the hamlet of Kerhonkson, from all parts of the country. A guest at that dedication, Josephine Gibajlo Gibbons, wrote in The Weekly that the resort is "a huge tract of land ... , its length and breadth runs over hill and dale on the side of a great mountain." This year community members will have an opportunity to come and celebrate Soyuzivka's golden jubilee.

A promising new summer program has been scheduled this year for Washington. Billed as the Youth Leadership Program 2002, this weeklong educational conference organized by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation is geared toward "leaders for tomorrow," students age 18-20. The program hopes to provide a "Washington experience" for those interested in U.S.-Ukraine relations and promises "discussions with 'players,' learning important leadership skills, and understanding how to take a more active role."

Lviv provides opportunities as well, witness the University of Alberta's six-credit course "Ukrainian Through Its Living Culture," initiated by the department of modern languages and cultural studies. Students have a unique opportunity: they can study the language and experience the culture of Ukraine while living there.

Then there are the festivals, the concerts, a golf tournament, a Kupalo celebration in New York City's East Village - so much to do in a mere three months.

We think readers of "A Ukrainian Summer" will agree that what is most significant is that today there is such a variety of worthwhile opportunities for the enrichment of our children and young adults. How lucky we are!

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