Stephanie Turenko, Toronto.
On 29 January 2015 in New York, U.S.A., Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij met with Advancing Human Rights Executive Director David Keyes and Program Manager Adriana Luhovy to discuss future cooperation within the framework of the Movements program of this NGO.
“It’s like craiglist and matchmaking website for activists,” Adriana Luhovy, Program Manager of Advancing Human Rights and Movements.org tells the New Pathway. Movements is a program designed to help individuals who suffer from authoritarian regimes and violations of human rights and freedoms, and who are prepared to defend their principles and beliefs. The online platform, whose motto is “crowdsourcing human rights”, matches those who need assistance with professionals willing to volunteer such assistance.
During the meeting, it was agreed that the UWC will promote the Movements program amongst Ukrainian organizations worldwide and add a link to Movements.org on the UWC website.
Adriana Luhovy, a Montreal born Ukrainian-Canadian joined the not-for-profit organization last year after taking a course in New York City called Impact!: Design For Social Change at the School of Visual Arts. There, 14 international students came together with individual social change projects in mind. The school was there to assist to guide and develop their ideas further.
“I came to the program wanting to help Ukraine. But I felt burnt out. I wanted to help Ukraine, but I felt I couldn't function. This was at the time of MH17 flight crash and uncertainty over whether orphan children I once worked with in Ukraine, through Help Us Help the Children would be kidnapped into Russian territory. I realized one huge problem for Ukrainians at large, was one I was facing – compassion fatigue.
It is so difficult to watch all that is going on in Ukraine. There is no way to really process it. It is devastating. Physically, emotionally we get burnt out. But one way to fight the compassion fatigue is by removing that feeling of helplessness. We give options of how we can help, how we can act, how we can be useful in a time of need” Luhovy explains.
“I feel Movements.org can do just that. It gives everyone the power to help, based on whatever skills you may have. It gives you an opportunity to take action. Right away.
Whether it's doing some translation work, helping with social media, recommending a certain post to a friend who may help. Anything. I'm hoping to get the communication going much quicker to make things such as much more effective for the Ukrainian community”.
It is an exciting time for Movements.org because they have just launched their Ukrainian version of their website. “Now it’s accessible for Ukrainians all over the world” Luhovy tells the New Pathway.
Luhovy’s most recent assignment with Movements.org was managing the unlawfully imprisoned Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko case. Movements facilitated the translation of over 70 documents from Russian to English which will help Nadiya’s legal representatives obtain a better understanding of the case and allow them to write a legal opinion. The documents will also be used to brief Congress members, and help free Savchenko from prison.
“I hope that the Movements program will truly help Ukrainians who are victims of violations of human rights and freedoms,” commented UWC President Eugene Czolij upon their meeting.
While there are certain skills that are particularly in demand from the activist users – namely, legal assistance, media coverage – there are plenty of ways one can be involved if they do not fall into those categories such as through social media and recommending the website to friends.
To join the movement, visit www.movements.org and help make a change today.
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