Detroit Regional Council of UNWLA holds weekend retreat women (07/27/97)

Detroit Regional Council of UNWLA holds weekend retreat women

by Natalia Tegler

BRIGHTON, Mich. - "There are only three types of people in the world: Ukrainians, those married to Ukrainians and Uke wannabes," joked one conference participant addressing Detroit area women from each of these categories who attended the Ukrainian Woman's Retreat at Zelenyi Yar and the Dibrova Estates in Brighton, Mich., on June 20-22. The event was sponsored by Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA), Detroit Regional Council.

Grandmothers, mothers, daughters, teachers, librarians, doctors, lawyers, writers, artists, photographers, accountants, engineers, government officials and business executives spent three days building and strengthening friendships, developing skills and discussing topics vital to Ukrainian women.

Participants began arriving Friday, June 20. By the next morning, the Zelenyi Yar dining room was buzzing with excitement. Skies were gray, but the atmosphere was upbeat. Maria Mykolenko registered new arrivals and distributed specially designed bags containing conference goodies: name tags, a conference program, pens, raincoats and seat cushions.

By 9 a. m., 60 women aged 15 to 80-something had gathered in the Dibrova pavilion for the general opening session. Kwitka Iwanyckyj, president of the UNWLA's Detroit Regional Council, and Anna Macielinski, chairwoman of the Conference Committee, welcomed conference participants and encouraged them to take the weekend to do something for themselves and for the Ukrainian community through the UNWLA.

Immediately following the opening session, participants proceeded to the first breakout session. Four options were available for each breakout session. Tents, necessary protection from the occasional rain, were set up as meeting sites for each workshop.

A large group of women proceeded to Myrosia Stefaniuk's presentation on "Doing a Family History". Ms. Stefaniuk, a writer, translator and educator, teaches women's awareness classes and creative writing workshops. In a room surrounded by displays of family trees, photo histories and heirloom display cases, participants, aided by a booklet prepared for the workshop and Ms. Stefaniuk's encouragement, began recording memoirs of their youth, dreams and experiences.

Other women selected Christine Stasiw's presentation on career planning. Ms. Stasiw holds a master in business administration from the University of Illinois and is the director of marketing research at the Kellogg Co., a Fortune 50 company. This session, subtitled, Goal Setting: The One-Hour Version," encouraged participants to focus on the important, rather than the urgent. Ms. Stasiw urged participants to develop personal mission statements and set goals as a tool for a successful life.

Other workshop selections during this session included "Menopause Life Passage" by Luba Petrusha, M.D. and "Separation and Loss" by Linda Hryhorczuk, M.D., Dr. Petrusha, an obstetrician/gynecologist, told attendees to view menopause as a natural process and discussed risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Hryhorczuk discussed the feelings of loss that can occur and the need for grieving when children leave home or when loved ones are lost through illness, death and divorce.

During lunch, the success of the first session was evident. Each table was crowded and women huddled in groups, talking, gesturing and laughing. "This is such a great idea" was quickly becoming the most often heard statement of the weekend.

Maintaining a cultural identity

The gray skies persisted - and so did the enthusiasm. After lunch, all of the retreat participants regrouped in the pavilion for a panel session on "Instilling and Maintaining Cultural Identity." Like all group sessions, this one was conducted bilingually. The panel moderator, Oksana Gudz, teaches English as a second language. Panel participants included: Oksana Malanchuk who holds a Ph. D. in psychology from the University of Michigan and conducted a survey of regional differences in contemporary Ukrainian identities while teaching at the Lviv State University; Oksana Xenos, J. D., the district counsel for the IRS in Michigan, whose husband is Greek and who has brought up her son to be Ukrainian, Greek and American; Xenia Kozak, who is working towards a Ph. D. in biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan, is married to a fellow Ukrainian American and is currently rearing a third-generation Ukrainian American; and Oksana Hayes, who was born in Ukraine to a Ukrainian mother and a Russian father and lived in Ukraine and Russia before marrying an American and moving to the United States.

Dr. Malanchuk described how ethnic groups evolve after immigration, choosing between assimilating with and separating from their new homeland's culture. She also discussed the costs and benefits of maintaining a cultural identity.

Ms. Xenos discussed the disturbing trend of diminishing participation in Ukrainian organizations in the diaspora and stressed the need for change in the organizations' methodology and practices if cultural identity is to be maintained.

Ms. Kozak, selected as a representative of a younger generation and the mother of a three-month-old girl, quickly acknowledged that she could not speak for a whole generation because so many attitudes prevail. Though she has a strong Ukrainian identity and intends to instill one in her daughter, Ms. Kozak said she is not certain of her daughter's generation's Ukrainian identity due to many factors, among them the movement of Ukrainian Americans away from traditional Ukrainian communities.

Ms. Hayes, who listed her nationality as Ukrainian during her recent immigration into the United States, admits that her brothers indicated that they were Russian on their passports. Ms. Hayes, like Ms. Kozak and Ms. Xenos, intends to teach her future children to speak Ukrainian and to foster a Ukrainian identity.

After the panelists' presentation, retreat participants formed small groups and discussed ideas for maintaining the Ukrainian cultural identity. Audience consensus was that community members could maintain their Ukrainian identity in America if each contributes to its development and organizations modify their methods to keep up with the times. Several women cited the need to provide a place for Ukrainians, particularly Ukrainian children, who do not speak Ukrainian.

Addressing the needs of the aged

Immediately following the panel session, the women dispersed for the second breakout session. Victoria Hruszkewycz held a workshop on "Addressing the Needs of Aging Adults." Ms. Hruszkewycz, a registered nurse and a microbiologist, helped workshop participants understand their aging loved ones through discussion and simulated aging exercises. All left with a better understanding of living with decreased dexterity and mobility, and with new skills for helping the elderly cope.

Other options during this session included "Financial Planning for Your Future" by Sophie Koshiw, a certified public accountant; "Child Development: The Formative Years form Birth to Age 5" by Dr. Natalie Nazark; and "Stress Management" by Roman Kolodchin who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology form Wayne State University.

The third breakout session included more crowd-pleasing options. Christine Kachan's workshop on elder law drew a large crowd. Ms. Kachan holds a law degree from Wayne State University. She discussed living trusts, living wills, conservatorship, voluntary and involuntary guardianship, and durable power of attorney. Women followed Ms. Kachan with urgent questions throughout the dinner hour.

Roxalana Karanec, who holds a master of science degree in nutrition and food science and is the clinical nutrition manager for a major area hospital, presented a workshop focusing on the dietary needs of women to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and certain cancers.

Christina Korduba Zachar, M. D., the chief resident in psychiatry at a major Detroit area hospital, presented a workshop on differentiating between sadness and depression.

Ms. Stefaniuk, presented a workshop called "The Write Way to Wisdom." In this session, participants were led through writing exercises designed to tap into self-discovery, energy and creativity. When the session ended, several exclaimed, "I don't want to stop."

After this third breakout session, all of the women reconvened for dinner. Participants urged UNWLA's leadership to continue these workshops during the year in the UNWLA clubhouse, but to make them longer because the one hour and 15 minutes allotted for each session was not long enough to cover everything that interested the women.

Following dinner, a second panel session convened in the Dibrova pavilion. The topic: "How Children, Women and the Elderly Fare in Present-Day Ukraine." Though this was the 11th hour of an activity-packed day, participation remained strong. The session began with a video presentation by a Canadian organization called Help Us Help the Children, which was started in the United States by UNWLA member Vera Petrusha.

About 50,000 children live in Ukraine's orphanages, some orphans, others abandoned due to birth defects or because their parents were unable to support them. Ms. Petrusha, who traveled to Ukraine last summer to help the children, relayed the lack of food, clothing, medical supplies and toys, and the devastating effect of these shortages on Ukraine's children.

Svytlana Rohovyk, who received a degree in English at the Ivano-Frankivsk State Teaching Institute and immigrated to the U.S. in 1993 with her husband and children, read several accounts from Ukraine: a mother who strangled her children, unable to cope with poverty and destitution; an elderly couple, no longer able to maintain their vegetable garden, wondering if they would starve. Ms. Rohovyk's presentation on the widespread despair was sobering. But there was good news, too. There are now several Ukrainian women millionaires (in dollars) in Ukraine, and organizations like the UNWLA and Help Us Help the Children are making a difference.

After this panel session, the workshops were over for the day. Natalka Kuyan, the retreat's youngest participant, provided entertainment by playing her bandura. Later, the women sang Ukrainian songs and danced the Arkan and the Macarena.

On Sunday morning, retreat participants regrouped for breakfast and a spiritual workshop. Sister Helena Paskevich SSMI, who holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from St. Vladimir Seminary, is principal of St. Nicholas School in Minersville, Pa., the author of two books and a frequent retreat director. Sister Helena lifted the spirits of the retreat participants during her workshop "Women - A Call to Beauty." With humor, anecdotes and reflection, she urged participants to "know who we are and who we are called to be."

Sophia Hewryk, second vice-president for membership on the UNWLA's national board, made closing remarks and urged each member to recruit just one new member to the UNWLA. "I use the formula one plus one. If each of us brings in just one new member, our membership will double," she noted.

In conclusion, Ms. Iwanyckyj and Ms. Macielinski thanked the Conference Committee. Participants proceeded to a Divine Liturgy on the premises of Zelenyi Yar and to the UNWLA picnic at the Dibrova Estates.

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Women interested in joining the UNWLA may write to the organization at 108 Second Ave., New York, NY, 10003, call the national office at (212) 533-4646, or e-mail [email protected]

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