SUM's Internet movement makes new strides via world conference (05/21/00)

SUM's Internet movement makes new strides via world conference

by Ihor Symchych

ELLENVILLE, N.Y. - Computers, computing systems and the Internet have become ingrained in our lives, becoming not only a convenience but a necessary component in today's dynamic lifestyle. Having become widely known only less than a decade ago, development of the World Wide Web has exploded, opening ever more exciting possibilities for its users. Unhindered by geographic boundaries, the Internet, with its accessibility, openness and velocity, is the new resource of information and communication.

For several years the Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM) has been fostering a technology program that includes the development of its site on the World Wide Web, with an eye toward creating an effective medium for communicating its ideas and programs worldwide. Its web presence, at www.CYM.org [CYM is the Ukrainian acronym for SUM - Spilka Ukrainskoyi Molodi] already serves to provide information and resources to CYM members in all corners of the world. The rapid development of this movement within SUM has brought out the need to not only reflect on what has been achieved to date, but to contemplate directions of future evolution.

To that end, SUM's world executive recently backed a plan, initiated by its CYMnet Committee, to hold an international event - the first World CYMnet Conference. Invited to participate were not only professionals and academics in computer science, but also computer users and novices who wanted to learn more or share their knowledge about technical or non-technical areas tied to the Internet.

SUM's Ellenville resort was the location of the April 1-2 event. Over 100 delegates arrived from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Ukraine and the United States. After Yury Nakonechny, president of SUM in America, officially opened the event, participants were met by the warm greetings, broadcast online via Streaming Video technology and projected onto a one-and-a-half-story high screen in the conference hall, from Wira Hajdamacha, president of SUM's World Executive in Prague, from national presidents of SUM in Ukraine, Canada and the United States, and from Askold Lozynskyj, president of the Ukrainian World Congress and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

The conference's keynote address was delivered by Ihor Symchych of Kyiv, former president of SUM in Ukraine and a CYMnet Committee founding member.

A range of introductory sessions were held that provided a technical foundation on which the two days of subsequent sessions would build. Andrij Bebko (London), CYMnet's first chairman, presented "What is CYMnet?" - a history of the CYMnet movement, its goals and major projects. Pawlo Figol (Passaic, N.J.) delivered a technical overview of the Internet, its principles and workings, as well as its history and perspectives for the future.

The Internet today is easily accessible to much of the world's population. The statistics of SUM's website indicate that tens of thousands of surfers have browsed the CYMnet site from over 20 countries, including exotic locations such as Mexico, Japan and New Zealand where SUM branches do not (yet) exist.

Though readers may surf the Web every day, they may wonder: how are webpages actually created? For CYMnet conference attendees, this is no longer a secret. Under the direction of Ihor Stecko (New York), conference delegates undertook a practical course in HTML, the language of the Internet, and learned to create their own websites. On-site was a computer lab consisting of dozens of networked personal computers that were available around the clock for all to use their newfound web-building knowledge to construct useful and interesting webpages and sites.

Complementing the HTML sessions were several instructional sessions dealing with creation and manipulation of graphics, photographs and images for the web, taught by Roman Panchyshyn (Chicago).

The Ukrainian Youth Association is first and foremost an organization dedicated to its youth. Thus, educational and developmental topics played a major role for the association's youth counselors at the CYMnet conference. Much attention was given to how technology can play an useful role in SUM's youth programs.

Practical methods of utilizing computers in presenting material in an interesting and interactive way for children were presented by seasoned teachers and counselors. Dania Nauholnyk (New York), a teacher and school principal who is co-chairperson of SUM's U.S. Educational Council, presented a session on using Hyperstudio to develop interactive lessons that she has had success with as a middle school teacher. The presentation had a tremendous impact on those present, planting innovative ideas that would be taken home and put to practical use. Marianna Znak, co-chairperson with Ms. Nauholnyk, led a roundtable session titled "Educational Programs and Computers" during which counselors exchanged ideas and experiences, and developed proposals for future electronic content offerings on CYMnet and for SUM's educational program.

Drawing a large crowd was a session at which Walter Hanchuk (New York) a well-known attorney specializing in the Internet, intellectual property, trademarks and patents, shared his legal experiences. Mr. Hanchuk addressed the legal issues, perils and pitfalls of creating personal and business sites on the Internet.

Mykhajlo Bycko (Cleveland) offered a practical course in Internet journalism, followed by sessions led by Andriy Bihun (Goshen, N.Y.) on creating a website on SUM's web server, as well as about Ukrainianization of personal computers and Ukrainian fonts. Andrij Bebko returned to discuss "Dangers of the Internet," focusing on parenting issues and children's access to inappropriate content on the web.

Jurij Stecko (New York) presented the result of a research project, a collection of Internet resources suitable for gathering ideas and materials for SUM members in their various branches of work. Among the surprises of the talk were close-up satellite photos of the conference site in Ellenville, showing detailed high-quality images of the resort's buildings and grounds with remarkable clarity at one-meter resolution. Many in the audience, upon returning home, no doubt went directly to their computers to find images of their own homes on the Internet's Terraserver site.

The Planning Committee of the World CYMnet Conference, made up of local representatives in the United States, handled all technical, organizational and logistical feats of planning and executing a conference of such high professional quality. Committee members were: Iryna and Volodymyr Kohut, Lida Mykytyn, Mr. Figol, Ihor Stecko, Jurij Stecko and Kristine Bihun. The soul and driving force behind the project was Mr. Bihun, chairman of the CYMnet Committee.

Kudos were expressed also to the new administration of Ellenville's "oselia" (as the resort is known), which provided first-rate accommodations and a delightful environment for the conference.

Organizers acknowledged that the success of the event was due, in large part, to the generous support of the conference Sponsors: i2 Technologies Inc., Air Ukraine, Self Reliance (N.Y.) Federal Credit Union, SUMA (Yonkers) Federal Credit Union, 1st Security Federal Savings Bank, The Ukrainian Weekly, Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union, Cleveland Self Reliance Federal Credit Union, the America weekly and the Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics in the U.S.A.

After two days of sessions that left attendees wanting more, all returned home. Wherever home may be, for every SUMivets, the opportunity now exists to meet frequently with friends and colleagues in the virtual world called CYMnet. It was a truly inspiring site: the eyes of both young and old were lit up with the revelation of new ideas and techniques.

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