Toronto Book Launch for New Holodomor Teaching Resource
Written by Sophia Isajiw.
(CIUS: Edmonton-Toronto, 30 October 2018) A new resource for teaching and learning about the Holodomor was officially launched on September 27 in Toronto. About two hundred people joined dignitaries at the hall of the Ukrainian National Federation for a presentation of Holodomor in Ukraine, the Genocidal Famine 1932–1933: Learning Materials for Teachers and Students, authored by Valentina Kuryliw, director of education for the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS, University of Alberta).
A full house at the Toronto book launch. Photo: Mykola Swarnyk
A retired department head and history teacher with over 35 years of teaching experience, Ms. Kuryliw developed this much-needed resource for educators of middle and secondary school grades over the course of her career as a teacher and activist promoting Holodomor awareness and education. “The book is a labour of love,” said Kuryliw. “It gives me great pleasure to present what I have learned from teaching history, human rights, and the Holodomor, both in the Canadian classroom and in teacher- training seminars throughout Canada, the USA, and Ukraine.”
Professor Frank Sysyn, director of CIUS’s Toronto office, drew the attention of the audience to the dedication page. Ms. Kuryliw dedicates her book to formative influences: her parents, who survived the Holodomor, the American historian Professor James Mace, one of the first scholars of the Holodomor, and the millions of innocent victims who were starved to death and could not speak for themselves. Professor Sysyn urged those present to buy two copies—one book for personal use and one to present to a teacher, school, library, or colleague.
Frank Sysyn, director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies’ Toronto office and introductory speaker. Photo: Mykola Swarnyk
Paul Grod, national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), congratulated and thanked Valentina for her efforts as chair of the UCC’s National Holodomor Education Committee, and noted her contributions to Holodomor education, including a successful lobbying campaign to ensure that the Holodomor is included in the school curricula of five Canadian provinces.
Yvan Baker, a former Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario—and a former student of Ms. Kuryliw—shared that her teaching had helped him to make sense of the experiences of his own survivor grandmother, who had hoped that one day Holodomor victims would be remembered and honoured. He accompanied Ms. Kuryliw at meetings with Ministry of Education staff to urge for inclusion of the Holodomor in Ontario school curricula.
Tamara Kowalczyk, a history teacher with the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), declared Ms. Kuryliw a role model and emphasized the importance of her book from an educator’s perspective, praising the unique stand-alone teaching materials, innovative lesson plans, and diverse assignments. Printed in full colour, Kuryliw’s richly illustrated book contains archival documents, excerpted and translated for ease of use, as well as timelines, maps, memoirs, photographs, eyewitness accounts, age-appropriate literary works, multimedia links, and resource listings.
Mark Melnyk, Vice-Principal, York Region District School Board and a captivating speaker. Photo: Mykola Swarnyk.
Mark Melnyk, a colleague and vice-principal in the York Region District School Board, emphasized the need for engaging materials on the Holodomor. He praised the interactive lesson that Ms. Kuryliw created for the Holodomor Mobile Classroom, a state-of-the-art learning environment that travels across Canada, teaching about the Holodomor. Mr. Melnyk described the excitement that the arrival of this special bus caused at his school, and how her lesson immediately engaged his students and made the Holodomor come into focus for them. He also revealed that Ms. Kuryliw inspired him not only to teach about the Holodomor but to take a greater interest in his Ukrainian roots.
Valentina Kuryliw signing a copy of her book for educator Marta Dubyk. Photo: Mykola Swarnyk.
The Holodomor Learning Materials are published by CIUS Press as a project of CIUS’s Holodomor Research and Education Consortium. The book is available in a paperback edition for $49.95 (plus taxes and shipping; outside Canada, prices are in U.S. dollars). Orders can be placed via the secure on-line ordering system of CIUS Press at www.ciuspress.com or by contacting CIUS Press, 430 Pembina Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2H8; tel.: (780) 492-2973; fax: (780) 492-4967; e-mail: cius@ualberta.ca. The book is also available for purchase in Toronto at the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre (email: office@ucrdc.org; tel. 416-966-1819).
Valentina Kuryliw with friends and colleagues at the book launch event. Photo: Mykola Swarnyk.
Video interview with Valentina Kuryliw on FORUM TV (5 min.)