Resilient Together: Congress will chart course for our community

by Ann Szyptur and Yaroslaw Borys

 On November 14-16, hundreds of delegates from across the country representing dozens of Ukrainian organizations and communities will gather in Toronto to make history.

We invite everyone in our community to join us – as a delegate or a guest – and have your voice heard as we set the course for the next three years and plan the future of our community.

The XXVIII Triennial Congress of Ukrainian Canadians will be held under the inspiring theme: “Resilient Together – Résilients ensemble – Разом незламні.”

This year’s Congress is even more crucial – taking place as Russia wages a genocidal war of aggression against Ukraine and seeks to destroy the Ukrainian nation.

The Triennial Congress will express our community’s unwavering solidarity with Ukraine. The Congress will demonstrate to Canadian political leaders and policy makers the importance of standing with Ukraine and strengthening support for Ukraine’s courageous defence of the freedom of Europe.

Our community’s efforts in support of Ukraine for the past years have been incredible. You have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in aid; you have demonstrated and rallied; you have advocated to federal, provincial and municipal political leaders. At the Congress we will review our work and set plans for the next three years – and how we can help ensure Ukraine’s Victory.

We will discuss how we can best assist the tens of thousands of Ukrainians for whom Canada has become a refuge from Russia’s genocidal war.  We will focus efforts on strengthening our community here at home – making sure our cultural, arts, educational, financial, youth and heritage organizations and institutions have the support they need to keep flourishing.

Thanks to all of you, we have a wonderful, united, growing and influential Ukrainian Canadian community. But keeping it resilient and thriving requires our daily commitment and the dedication of tens of thousands of individuals and organizations large and small from coast to coast to coast.

The Triennial Congress is where these community builders meet. Where ideas turn into initiatives. Where a shared identity is strengthened for future generations. The Triennial Congress is your opportunity to be a part of planning our shared destiny.

Over three days, delegates, guests, youth leaders, and organizations will:

• Elect national leadership that will guide the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) for the next three years.
• Debate and adopt resolutions that shape community policy and advocacy.
• Celebrate culture and heritage through performances, exhibits, and social events.
• Engage directly with decision-makers from government, civil society, and partner organizations.

Through captivating workshops on a series of topics you’ll be able to engage with many experts, practitioners and community leaders to develop policies, proposals and plans for the future. No matter in what aspect of our Ukrainian Canadian life you’re engaged – supporting Ukraine; celebrating our culture and identity; community building; services or education – there will be much that interests you at the Congress.

We will be joined by distinguished leaders such as Oleksandra Matviichuk, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and head of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties, a leading human rights lawyer, and Lieutenant-General (ret’d) Roméo Dallaire, renowned advocate for mental health, humanitarian peacebuilding, and ethical leadership, and many more.

The XXVIII Triennial Congress is more than an event—it is a moment. A moment to stand with Ukraine. A moment to strengthen Canada’s Ukrainian community. A moment to ensure the voices of Ukrainian Canadians continue to be heard across this country and beyond. A moment we will remember for many years.

Register today, secure your seat at the table, and add your voice to the future of our community. Together, we are resilient. Together, we are stronger.

Learn more and register now at congress.ucc.ca

Ann Szyptur is First Vice President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. Yaroslaw Borys is Secretary of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. Together they co-chair the XXVIII Triennial Congress Organizing Committee.

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