The summer Ukrainian-language school was taking place in Kazakhstan

The summer Ukrainian-language camp-school “A Step towards the Ukraine” was taking place in Karkaralinsk city (Kazakhstan) from 19 to 29^th July 2012. The camp was organized by the UGCC Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Karahanda city and by Taras Shevchenko Association of Ukrainian language in the Karahanda region, named “The Native Word”. The camp was held under the patronage of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Kazakhstan. This was reported by Ms. Irina Skokova, who is the teacher in the Sunday Ukrainian School in Karahanda. The camp brought together people of all ages, ranging from 13 to 25 years old. In order to organize the summer school, Fr. Vasyl Hovera addressed the International Institute of Education, Culture and Relations with the Diaspora, of the National “Lviv Polytechnic” University, asking to direct Ukrainian language teachers. The Institute sent three teachers: Ms. Olesya Palinska, who is the senior research fellow of the Institute, Ms. Olha Ptashnyk, who is the research assistant, and Mr. Oleh Kachala, who is the teacher. Out of the Ukrainian Association, the responsibility for the camp was delegated to Iryna Ihnativna Skokova and Svitlana Vasylivna Tkach. Pupils and students from various cities (such as Karahanda, Temirtau, Rudne, Satlaevo and Toparu) were invited to the camp. Based on the diagnostic test, students were divided into three different groups according to the level of their language proficiency. Each day groups had language classes (which lasted an hour and a half), after what they worked jointly in the ethnographic workshops that were led by Olha Ptashyk. The very nature of Karkaralinsk definitely made the stay in the camp more compelling. Wonderful mountains even impressed the guests coming from Lviv, who compared the beauty and colors of those mountains to the ones that Carpathians have.  Using the opportunity that Yuriy Oleksiyovych Kubaychuk, who is the senator of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazachstan and the representative of Karahanda region in the Parliament, was on holiday in Karkaralinsk, Fr. Vasyl invited him to meet Ukrainian youth. It was Senator’s pleasure to accept the invitation and to share his life experience and his work experience in the Parliament with children. At the end of the meeting, Yuriy Oleksiyovych, encouraged everyone to study hard and reminded about the operation of program of three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English. In this respect, he stimulated young Ukrainians to learn also their native Ukrainian language.

UGCC Department of Information