"Ukrainian Power" children's video series now on the Internet (01/26/03)

"Ukrainian Power" children's video series now on the Internet

by Roman Woronowycz

DETROIT - Boomchyk Borovyk, Natalka, Yurko, Maxim and their English-speaking friend Mila, have made the jump to the 21st century and the global screen. Since June 2002, the wide-eyed, round-faced puppets of the "Ukrainian Power" video series have found a second home on the Internet.

The stars of the four video cassettes, produced by Ukrainian Power Videos Inc., a production company based in Milford, Mich, successfully made the transition to its very own website after owner Olga Halaburda went looking for a wider audience for her group of young puppets yearning to learn Ukrainian. By this January the website had received tens of thousands of hits.

"I have received so much positive feedback from parents and teachers on a weekly basis who tell me they appreciate the videos and how interesting they are," explained Ms. Halaburda.

Since summertime she has made the "Ukrainian Power" characters even more readily available to children through interactive games and several puzzles found on the new website (Ukrainianpower.com), in addition to the four videos she has produced. Ms. Halaburda said the website is a unique service offered to Ukrainian children.

"It is the first Ukrainian-language interactive website on the Internet," explained Ms. Halaburda.

The four interactive games, which are nicely drawn and have vivid colors, prompt involvement from the youngsters who play them. In the Color Game, Boomchyk, the purple-skinned, heavy-browed main character of the "Ukrainian Power" video series, introduces children to various colors and helps them paint a picture. The children of Alphabet Village, where Boomchyk lives, identify objects of the color presented.

The Alphabet Game requires kids to choose a letter, which Boomchyk then pronounces. Parents can also test their children while playing the game.

In the Zoo Animal Game, children learn the names of animals both in Ukrainian and English, while in the last interactive game, the Zoo Animal Quiz, Boomchyk questions visitors to the website on the names of the various animals.

Another unique aspect of the website is that each interactive game is privately sponsored. In fact, the Ukrainian National Association, the publisher of The Ukrainian Weekly, sponsored the Alphabet Game, the second game in the series. Other sponsors include the Ukrainian Future Credit Union, the Ukrainian Selfreliance New England Credit Union and Travel Ukraine Agency.

Ms. Halaburda explained that she is ready to develop additional games if sponsors become available. She said that either a company or an individual could offer a sponsorship, which costs only several hundred dollars.

"If they want to provide input or have a game in mind, I will listen," explained the young entrepreneur. "But I also have ideas based on what is in the videos." For example she said that next she would like to develop a game based on the days of the week.

Ms. Halaburda, who doubles as a television reporter in Greenbay, Wis., said she first came up with an idea to develop a video to teach young Ukrainians who live outside their ancestral homeland their native language after she searched high and low throughout the United States and Canada and found nothing available to offer her two young nieces. At first she attempted to convince others to develop a Ukrainian language learning video. But then she had a self-revelation.

Flying home after a visit with the nieces, Natalia and Emily - today age 4 and 2, respectively - in the summer of 2000, Ms. Halaburda realized that because she worked in broadcast journalism she was uniquely situated to fill the void she perceived in the video market.

After obtaining business loans from the Future Credit Union and Selfreliance Credit Union, both located in Warren, Mich., she used her connections to draw together a 47-person production team. To assure the project the highest professionalism and quality, she also sought and obtained the services of Sesame Street puppet maker Rick Lyon and his fellow puppeteers.

By Christmas, the first video, "Learning the Alphabet: Volume One," was out and people quickly grabbed the initial thousand printings. In the last two years, three other videos have followed: "Songs and Games: Volume Two"; "Calendar Fun: Volume Three"; and "Boomchyk's Birthday: Volume Four."

The videos take place in Alphabet Village, where letters grow on trees and the river flows of alphabet soup. Boomchyk acts as the host as he takes kids through the village and meets his friends, Natalka, who desperately wants to learn Ukrainian, Yurko, who wants to paint the village, and Maxim, who dreams of becoming a soccer star. There is also Vera, their creative teacher, who helps them learn, and Mila, their English-speaking friend, who pops in throughout the videos to provide support and encouragement to the young viewers.

The videos contain segments on Ukrainian folk dancing and pysanka-making. The children also learn body parts, colors and numbers in the Ukrainian language.

Just because Boomchyk and his friends are now rising stars on the Internet does not mean that they have abandoned their first home and their fans from their days in videoland. In fact, the group is planning a return to videotape with a program dedicated to slightly older children, 10-and-11-year-olds, to include a bit more advanced Ukrainian lessons.

But the key, said Ms. Halaburda, is the response from the parents. After all, she is in a business, and sales are the bottom line.

"It is up to the Ukrainian community to decide whether it wants more Ukrainian Power' videos," explained Ms. Halaburda.

If it were up to her youngest niece, Emily, however, more adventures of Boomchyk and his friends would be inevitable.

"Emily watches 'Boomchyk's Birthday Party' so much that my sister told me one night she heard her singing 'Mnohaya Lita' in her sleep," explained Ms. Halaburda.

Not a bad beginning for a Ukrainian 2-year-old.

To order a video or for more information call toll-free 866-898-6208 or visit the website at www.ukrainianpower.com.

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