UCCA to hold 17th congress (10/06/96)

UCCA to hold 17th congress

by Michael Sawkiw Jr.
Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - On Saturday October 19, during the proceedings of the XVII Congress of Ukrainians in America, delegates and invited guests will participate in four roundtable discussions focusing on assistance to Ukraine, education of school-age children, external affairs of the diaspora, and maintaining an active diaspora .

Starting at 10 a.m., a panel analyzing the Ukrainian American community's assistance to Ukraine will be conducted. The panelists will include Maria Karpyshyn, social development coordinator for the Woman's Organization for the Defense of the Four Freedoms for Ukraine; Alexander Kuzma, project coordinator for the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund; Wolodymyr Wolowodiuk, member of the Coordinating Committee for Aid to Ukraine; Patience Huntwork, director of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America "Commercial Law Project in Ukraine"; and Tamara Gallo, former director of the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS). The moderator will be Dr. Andrij Szul.

Simultaneously, a second roundtable will discuss the education of Ukrainian American children and their role in youth organizations. Panelists will include Dr. Ivan Holowinsky, Dr. Ihor Huryn, Ivan Kobasa, Ivan Makar and Alexander Pryshlak. The moderator will be Dr. Eugene Fedorenko, president of the UCCA Educational Council.

Beginning at 2 p.m., another panel will examine the role and voice of the Ukrainian American community in Washington. Non-Ukrainians will offer their views about the work of the Ukrainian American community in expressing its message on the American political scene. The panelists include Carlos Pascual, director for economic policy for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia from the National Security Council; Don Pressley, deputy assistant administrator, Bureau for Europe and the NIS at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); Mark Gage, majority professional staff for the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee; Ian Brzezinski, foreign affairs specialist for the office of Sen. William Roth Jr. (R-Del.); and Bruce Connuck, senior officer, Ukraine Desk, U.S. Department of State. The moderator of the panel will be Michael Sawkiw Jr., director of the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) in Washington.

A concurrent roundtable will analyze the social impact of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States. The Rev. Peter Galadza will discuss the role of the Church; Dr. Oleh Wolovyna will discuss the demographics of the diaspora; Evhenia Blaha will give insights about the role of financial institutions; Dr. Orest Kozicky will discuss youth organizations; and Ihor Dlaboha will cover the role of media. The moderator for this panel discussion will be Prof. Volodymyr Stojko.

The congress will take place at the Ramada Inn Hotel, Route 10, East Hanover, N.J.