To increase the number of those speaking the Ukrainian language by organizing summer Ukrainian studies with funds donated by foreigners — this is the ambitious plan of the members of a newly founded Ukrainian-Polish Youth Cooperation organization set up on Polish initiative. For many years Polish young people have participated in the activities of a similar organization, the Polish-German Youth Cooperation. Only last year 46,000 children, teenagers, and students from Poland and Germany took part in this organization’s sports, language, ecology, and other exchange programs. Considering the successful work of the Polish-German Youth Cooperation, whose budget last year amounted DM 20.4 million, in the future Ukrainian initiative group headed by Kostiantyn Olifirenko plans tripartite cooperation in a Ukrainian-Polish-German organization. It would also be desirable to involve young Russians in this project, Kostiantyn told The Day.
Of course, in such case the question of financing comes first. The Polish-German Youth Cooperation, whose example Kostiantyn and his Warsaw partners follow, has a joint fund financed by both the Polish and German governments. While negotiations with Ukrainian government officials are still being held, some leaders of Ukrainian institutions of local government promised their support to the young people’s initiative. For example, according to Mr. Olifirenko, the mayor of Siverskodonetsk took great interest in the idea of creating a Ukrainian language summer school. Soon an initiative group is to meet with a delegation from the Polish Sejm in Kyiv.
Ukrainian activists have no doubts that the new organization is gaining support from its target group, schoolchildren and students. Our young people’s growing interest in Poland guarantees this. However, one can only wish that Ukraine could attract Poles with its opportunities for study and leisure as well. Mr. Olifirenko also hopes that Poland’s entry visa regime for Ukraine scheduled for next year will become not a barrier but an impetus to implement projects on the initiative from the young people from both countries who want to communicate in spite of all borders and customs frontiers.
