St. George Ukrainian Catholic Parish’s Ridna Shkola had a very successful camp from July 4-8, 2022, funded by the Humanitarian Aid Settlement Grant. They had 48 campers, with 30 Ukrainian national children from Odessa, Kyiv, Lviv, Ternopil, and Ivano Frankivsk. The camp had many activities where children were able to make new friendships, and participate in different religious, cultural, art, physical and recreational activities.
For their arts and crafts activities, they had Solomiya, a Ukrainian artist come in and teach the campers how to create their own angel artwork. They also created their own “motanka,” a Ukrainian angel.
Another fun activity was learning how to make traditional Ukrainian varenyky and kalach! They had a great time cooking and baking together. Though, the best part was eating them after a meal prayer and camp song!
The camp took a day trip to the Ukrainian Heritage Village, where they were immersed in the Ukrainian language, culture, and history of early Ukrainian settlements in Canada. They discovered what schools, churches, blacksmiths, and more looked like before the 1930s and interacted with the actors. They took a fun ride in a coach bus and were all tired out after the rowdy trip!
The campers also prayed for peace in Ukraine. They learned prayers and painted blue and yellow art to show support.
On the last day of camp, the campers had a concert and barbecue event where parents could join in on the fun! They sang many songs they learned, including “Chervona Kalyna.”
St. George’s parish thanks the Eparchy for the Humanitarian Settlement Grant for this camp, as they were able to have many fun activities! Olia Myc, principal of Ridna Shkola and the camp leader says It was a pleasure to see kids praying in Ukrainian and for some, it was the first time praying since arriving in Canada. “During this difficult time, we stand together, Slava Ukraini!”
To see more photos and videos from the camp, see Ridna Shkola’s Facebook here. The school is excited to start its Saturday school this upcoming year, with hopes of having many Ukrainian nationals registering. To view more about the Humanitarian Aid Settlement Grant, or to apply, click here.
We pray for the Ukrainian nationals and for them to find peace and freedom. We hope that the war will end soon. Say a prayer for Ukraine, or watch Bishop David’s homily here. You can make a donation to support Ukraine here.