ODUM senior counselors hold conference, elect officers (12/26/82)

ODUM senior counselors hold conference, elect officers

DETROIT - The Association of American Youth of Ukrainian Descent (ODUM) in the United States held its fifth biennial conference of senior counselors here at St. Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church Hall during the November 26-28 weekend.

Some 40 delegates representing 10 ODUM branches in the United States attended the conference and re-elected Andrij Shevchenko president of the national executive board for the next two years.

Joining Mr. Shevchenko on the new executive board are Taras Konowal, first vice-president and organizational chairman; Natalia Pawlenko, second vice-president and coordinator of youth affairs; Wolodymyr Hryhorenko, secretary; Evhen Kalman, treasurer; Alexander Neprel, camps coordinator; Iwan Pawlenko, external affairs director; Mykola Francuzenko, cultural affairs director; George Smyk, press and information director; Bohdan Lysyj and George Krywolap Jr., members-at-large.

The newly elected auditing committee consists of: Dr. George Krywolap, chairman, and Vera Konowal and Helen Bachnivsky, members.

The first session of the conference was officially opened on Friday evening, November 26. After opening remarks by Mr. Shevchenko, the Very Rev. Nestor Stolarchuk, pastor of St. Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Detroit, delivered the invocation.

A presidium consisting of Oleksij Shevchenko, chairman, Mr. Smyk, vice-chairman, and Mr. Konowal, secretary, was elected to conduct the conference.

Also elected during the opening session were the nominating, verifications and resolutions committees.

The delegates also reviewed and approved applications by candidates applying for senior counselor status in the ODUM organizational system. The applications were reviewed on the basis of qualifications required by the ODUM by-laws.

Receiving new senior counselor status were Natalia Lysyj, Valentina Yarr, Victor Hushcha, Paul Hajowyj and Mark Sydorenko, all of Minneapolis-St. Paul; Natalie Prytula, Vera Holowaty and Michael Wasylenko of Detroit; and Mr. Neprel of New York.

The business session continued with reports by members of the outgoing executive board and presidents of ODUM branches throughout the United States.

Friday evening's session concluded with the keynote speech of the conference titled "ODUM Today and Tomorrow - Directions for the Future," which was delivered by Mr. A. Shevchenko, outgoing president of the national executive board. In his address, Mr. Shevchenko analyzed ODUM's role vis-a-vis the Ukrainian community in the United States, specifically touching upon ODUM's relations with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the Committee for Law and Order in the UCCA, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Democratic Movement and other Ukrainian youth organizations, most notably Plast and SUM-A.

The speech also analyzed the internal problems of ODUM, particularly its organizational structure, which, Mr. Shevchenko argued, needed to be professionalized and updated in order for ODUM to meet the needs of today's Ukrainian youth. Mr. Shevchenko emphasized that ODUM should initiate programs, including ODUM-sponsored trips to Ukraine, which would bring its members to a closer understanding of Ukraine of today.

He also stressed the need for programs which would make ODUM attractive to potential new members, particularly the youths who are not members of any Ukrainian youth organization.

Saturday morning's session began with a panel discussion on "Politics, ODUM and the Ukrainian Community," which was moderated by Ms. Pawlenko. Panelists Mr. G. Smyk, Mr. A. Shevchenko and Dr. Anatol Lysyj analyzed the role of politics in ODUM and the Ukrainian community.

Dr. Lysyj contended that there was an unfounded fear of politics among many Ukrainian parents, causing them to become alienated from the Ukrainian community. This type of apathy has carried over to their offspring, causing both parents and children to become lost not only to ODUM, but to the entire Ukrainian community, as well.

Mr. Smyk emphasized that ODUM should spend less time living in the past and concentrate its energies on propagating and informing youths about contemporary Ukraine. This would make them more keenly aware of their heritage:

Echoing this sentiment, Mr. Shevchenko argued that the Ukrainian community had become far too embroiled in old emigre party politics and had thus steered its energies away from today's Ukraine. Such political blindness caused boycotts of Kobza's recent tour of Canada, the Ukrainian Helsinki Monitoring Group and individual Ukrainian dissidents, exactly those entites which represent the Ukraine of today, he said. Such actions had alienated many Ukrainian youths from the Ukrainian community, he noted.

After lunch the conference's business sessions continued with a question-and-answer and discussion period pertaining to the reports of the outgoing officers of the national executive board.

The auditing committee then gave its report recommending that a vote of confidence be bestowed upon the outgoing executive board for its work over the previous two years. This was unanimously approved by the delegates.

Next on the agenda was the report of the resolutions committee and subsequent adoption of the resolutions.

Some of the more noteworthy general resolutions adopted by the conference:

called for cooperation and work among the Ukrainian community in accordance with democratic principles;
reaffirmed ODUM's strong support for the Committee for Law and Order in the UCCA;
reaffirmed ODUM's active support of the enslaved peoples in Ukraine, especially its youth, in light of the dictatorial rule of the Soviet regime;
called on ODUM members to safeguard the Ukrainian language, culture and traditions in light of Russification policies being pursued in Ukraine;
called for ODUM's active support, through donations and other means, of the erection of the monument in honor of Metropolitan Wasyl Lypkivskyj of Kiev, first Metropolitan of the reborn Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in 1921 (The monument is to be built on the grounds of the Ukrainian Orthodox Center in South Bound Brook, N.J.);
called for ODUM's active preparation for the commemoration of the millennium of Christianity in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which is to occur in 1988;
called on ODUM to actively participate in the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet-made famine in Ukraine of 1932-33.

The report of the nominating committee and election of the new executive board followed.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Shevchenko thanked the delegates for allowing him the opportunity to serve as ODUM's president for the next two years. He promised an active and aggressive tenure of the executive board over the upcoming term and briefly outlined his plans for the next two years.

The conference ended with the singing of the ODUM youth march by the delegates.

A dinner and dance that evening concluded the weekend's activities.

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