Report of the National Holodomor Education Committee, (NHEC) to the UCC September 27, 2016,
Presently the NHEC has representatives from the following provinces:
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
· Chair: Valentina Kuryliw
· Alberta: Melody Kostiuk, Natalia Onyschuk
· Saskatchewan: Holly Paluck, Nadia Propkopchuk
· Manitoba: Val Noseworthy, Irka Balan, Denis Hlynka
· Ontario: Valentina Kuryliw, Lydia Falcomer, Lesia Korobaylo, Oksana Levytska
· Quebec: Zorianna Hrycenko-Luhovy; Marika Putko
1. Report from the provinces:
a. Alberta – A new resource on the Holodomor geared to the Alberta curriculum in social studies was introduced to the province as a pilot project. It was written by a consultant in social studies from the Edmonton Catholic School District. It is being tested both by Edmonton Public and Edmonton Catholic schools for the high school level. It will be shared with other school boards throughout the province.
· Presently, the Holodomor is included in the Alberta curriculum in grade 3 and in Social Studies 20 and 30 at the gr. 11 and 12 levels.
· Lesson plans for teachers on the Holodomor are available on the Edmonton Catholic website for grades k-12.
· Presently, Alberta is undergoing a curriculum review and the representatives from NHEC in Alberta and the UCC Alberta Branch are working with the MInistry to ensure that the Holodomor is included in the appropriate sectors of the curricula.
b. Saskatchewan – is bringing greater awareness to the Holodomor during its hosting of the XXV Triennial Congress of the UCC in Regina, September 29 –October 2, 2016.
· They booked the Holodomor Mobile Classroom (HMC) of the Holodomor National Awareness Tour (HNAT) for a three week period for schools in their province during and after the Conference.
· The Sask. group plans on expanding Holodomor Memorial Day to a greater number of school boards across the province.
· They are preparing a support package of teaching materials for chairs of the boards/districts as an introduction to the Holodomor. They also plan on sharing announcements, prayers and teacher resources with the various school districts. The NHEC has helped to provide some of these materials.
· Nadia Prokopchuk and George Zerebecky have prepared a teaching module on the Holodomor for the “Voices into Action “website, an online resource run by OISE at the University of Toronto. This website deals with concepts of prejudice, bullying, human rights abuses and genocide, and has supplementary materials for teachers at the high school level, available free of charge. The chapter on the Holodomor will complement the thought provoking units ending with events in Ukraine on the Maidan. The NHEC was asked to review the module and offer suggestions before submission.
c. Manitoba –
· Val Noseworthy and Irka Balan of the UCC Manitoba Holodomor Awareness and Education Committee are working on organizing the commemoration ceremony in November 2016 once more in front of the Holodomor Memorial at City Hall. They will have a keynote speaker and have invited the German Mennonites and others to participate
· The Manitoba Ministry of Education has provided two of their staff menbers (Val Noseworthy and Tony Tavares) to work with V. Kuryliw, on the Holodomor Mobile Classroom to prepare a Pre-Visit and Post Visit Package of information and activities for educators who book a tour on the HMC. This is Manitoba’s contribution in kind to the HNAT project.
· A new course, Home Economics for Middle Years, was introduced which includes the Holodomor in its study of food and its deprivation.
· Manitoba Holodomor Education continues to work with the Canadian Museum of Human Rights to develop a teaching module on the Holodomor for middle years. For this, an Ad Hoc Committee for Middle Years has been struck which includes two staff from the education sector of the CMHR, Val Noseworthy, Irka Balan, and four selected Ukrainian teachers from Manitoba, as well as Valentina Kuryliw as consultant. This group has prepared a lesson which will be piloted in November 2016 as a specific lesson and resource for classes on human rights and the Holodomor at the CMHR.
· The Manitoba group helped in the distribution of “Genocide Revealed” in French to schools across Manitoba.
· A simple Power Point for schools is also being prepared for teachers as a means of introducing the topic to students by V. Noseworthy.
d. Quebec –
· The Ukrainian language educational version of Genocide Revealed is almost completed. There is still a need for some additional funding.
· Y. Luhovy provided 140 copies of Genocide Revealed in French to Manitoba schools through a special grant program. Saskatchewan also received copies of the French language DVD for its schools. Other provinces are encouraged to request the French version for their schools as well.
· The Luhovys are concerned about the need to restore archival tapes in their possession on the Holodomor so that they could be placed on the web as an additional resource on the topic. Once more, it is a question of lack of funding.
· There is a petition in Quebec to include the topic of genocide in Quebec schools. Prof. Serbyn is involved. Presently, the Holodomor is only taught by individual teachers, not as part of a designated curriculum.
· The UCC in Quebec is interested in having the HMC visit Quebec schools, especially in Northern Quebec.
e. Ontario: -
· Workshops for teachers and students featuring the Holodomor are ongoing. Especially popular are guest visits to Genocide courses as students and teachers become more and more aware of the Holodomor and its consequences.
· National Ukrainian Teachers’ Conference – was held May 13-15, 2016 in Toronto. V.Kuryliw was invited as a presenter for the three presentations of her interactive lesson on the HMC in the Ukrainian language. The Minister of Education of Ukraine, Lilia Hrynevych visited the HMC though without seeing the technology, but was still duly impressed by the lesson outline and concept of a travelling classroom on the Holodomor.
· The Ontario curriculum review is completed for history, social studies and the humantities. 12 courses have been identified in which the Holodomor is either included or could be taught in the new curriculum. To view individual courses and the placement of the Holodomor, please visit: www.holodomor.ca/education.curriculum
· Students’ Genocide Conference – “From Remembrance to Action” was held by the Toronto District School Board, March 2016, the 2nd such conference. V. Kuryliw was invited to be one of the organizers of the Conference along with groups like Facing History and Ourselves (Holocaust), Alpha (East Asians), the Corning Centre (Armenians) and an aboriginal Group- Metis) . Four workshops at the Conference highlighted Ukrainian themes: Two – the HMC lesson “the Historian’s Craft” by V. Kuryliw on the HMC, and two sessions on “How to create a twitter storm” by Andrea Chalupa, and UCC Toronto.
3. New Initiatives:
A. The NHEC has been active with the The Holodomor Mobile Classroom, part of the Holodomor National Awareness Tour which is now operational. Funding for the HMC came from the Federal government in Canada for the sum of $1. 5 million and the Ontario Ministry of Education, Equity and inclusivity branch. $750,000 . This occurred after the NHEC was successful in working with and lobbying the Ontario Ministry of Education Review Committee on Curriculum to include the Holodomor in history and social studies and the humanities courses. Some of the terms were to create an interactive lesson on human rights and the Holodomor and have the HMC stay in Ontario for the first year. Manitoba Education – also contributed $15,000 plus work in kind by Manitoba staff. The entire budget for the 3 years of the HMC is $3,300,000. This is a project of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. It is important to note, that this would not have been possible had the Holodomor not been included in the school curriculum to date.
Education Component:
· Lesson “The Historian’s Craft,” developed and authored by V. Kuryliw – is an interactive lesson spanning human rights and genocide using 21st century technology: There are 12 screens and iPads for each student.(33). “The Historian’s Craft” is a lesson that encourages the development of critical and historical thinking skills through a semi jigsaw strategy: there are 6 groups of students, each analyzing a different resource with an assignment on the iPads. Students interact with each other in their groups analyzing their resource. The recorder writes down their answers to the assignment given on the iPads, The presentation for each group is transferred to the 12 screens on one side of the HMC for all to see, as well as samples of resources that have been used. Once all groups have presented, there is a mindmap of the most important conclusion reached by each group on the Holodomor. A discussion follows on what can be done to prevent such occurrences of genocide in the future. The cost per day for schools to book the HMC is $500 for 4 one hour classes.
· The HMC is also available to travel to community affairs and festivals during the year and the summer. At such events, the audience has an opportunity to view new films on the Holodomor.
· The Pre-Visit and Post-Visit Package is available to teachers who have booked the HMC and is Manitoba Education’s contribution in kind. Three individuals worked on this. V. Kuryliw Val Noseworthy and Tony Tavares. (contributors and formatters).
B. Presentations for Ministry of Education staff in 2016
· The Equity and Inclusivity Branch, Ministry of Education staff in Ontario (25 individuals) experienced the actual lesson conducted by V. Kuryliw with a Q&A session in Toronto on March 22, 2016 on the HMC. It was very well received. Many present had never heard of the Holodomor, and were stunned by the information. They were also pleased with its interactive focus and its emphasis on developing critical and historical thinking skills.
· Presentations to Equity and Inclusivity Conference, May 16, 2016 to nine school boards in Eastern Ontario held in Ottawa – Two sessions were held on the HMC by V. Kuryliw with handouts for educators about the HMC and the Holodomor. It was very well received and enhanced awareness.
· Presentations to Manitoba Education staff – are planned for October 20, 2016 and for the MLAs of Manitoba on the HMC.
· Saskatchewan: The Minister of Education, Mr. Morgan and members of his staff and government visited a class on the HMC on September 26, 2016. A teacher training session on the Holodomor by V. Kuryliw in Regina was also conducted at the end of September, 2016.
C. HREC Education, is holding the second Holodomor Education Conference with the help of the NHEC. When : May 5-7, 2017. It will begin the 85th commemoration of the Holodomor at this Conference.
Where: Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
Sponsors: HREC Education, Manitoba Education and Training, Manitoba Holodomor Awareness and Education Committee, the NHEC of the UCC, in cooperation with the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. The CMHR has offered their facility for the Conference as their contribution to this initiative for which we are grateful.
The Holodomor Education Conference’s slogan is : “Education, Awareness, Action” emphasizing social justice and human rights issues using the Holodomor as a lens through which they will be viewed.
· It will be advertised to teacher associations, school boards, bilingual schools, faculties of education, appealing to Ukrainian and Canadian educators.
· A three day event - Friday night, launches the Conference with a welcoming reception and registration in the Garden of Contemplation at the CMHR.
· Sessions on Saturday all day will include opening remarks by the CEO of the CMHR, the UCC, with a keynote speaker. Three beakout sessions for attendees will end with a tour of the CMHR, emphasizing the Holodomor.
· A modest supper will be held in the evening with a speaker.
· Sunday will continue with 2 sessions and closing reflections and a discussion with suggestions for future work on Holodomor Education.
· The Conference will conclude with a tour of Ukrainian and historical sites in Winnipeg.
· To offset costs for teachers to attend, HREC will have a grant program for teachers who demonstrate sufficient interest in teaching about the Holodomor.
C. Graphic Novel: NHEC supports the creation of a graphic novel on the Holodomor. The scenario would be the work of Walter Duranty and Gareth Jones in Ukraine, leading to George Orwell becoming interested and writing his book, Animal Farm. HREC Education is a sponsor of this project.
D. XXV UCC Triennial Congress.
When: September 29 - Oct. 2, 2016.
Where: Regina, Sask.
· The NHEC was involved in the session on the Holodmor: Identity Denied which consisted of a panel of speakers who dealt with the Internment and Holodomor andResidential Schools examining cthe after effects on survivors and their offspring. The moderator was V. Kuryliw. This session was well attended and interesting discussions took place.
· The HMC vehicle was also on site at the XXV Congress showing films on the HMC to the delegates and community.
E. Holodomor Student Project/Competition:
· Lesia Korobaylo and Christine Syniura of the Holodomor Committee in Toronto are in charge of the Holodomor Student Competition .
· This year it includes videos as well as written submissions and is available to all high school students registered in a school in Canada.
· It will be advertised in school boards across the country. A flier is available online. UCC National will cover the costs of the prizes for recipients. www.ucc.ca
4. Curriculum Development :
· HREC Education with the input of the NHEC is looking into setting up a grant program for teachers to create curriculum on the Holodomor to share with other educators across the country. The selected modules will be placed on the HREC and UCC websites and educators will receive a token honourarium for their contribution.
· Master class in Ukraine: HREC has an affiliate representation/organization in Kyiv, Ukraine, run by Ludmilla Hrynevych, a historian who has written several books on the Holodomor. They do research, write and publish books on the topic and are the go to place for Holodomor studies in Ukraine.