We have reached the end of the XV International School of Ukrainian Studies «Step to Ukraine» by the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations, Lviv Polytechnic, which brought together not only representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, but also sympathizers of our language, culture and traditions from around the world. Iryna Kliuchkovska, Director of IECDR, told us how this long-term project is developing and what tasks the team sets for itself.
«Creating an image of modern Ukraine, rejecting stereotypical perception»
We are approached by people with different levels of language proficiency – from beginners to university teachers. And this implies a completely different approach to teaching. But even those who know the Ukrainian language well say they discovered Ukraine due to our classes.
We set ourselves the task of showing modern Ukraine through people who are successful and well-known abroad. Therefore, our students acquire knowledge from very different fields that interest them. We also organize virtual tours of the best museums, galleries and artists’ workshops. I also dream of showing the Lviv Polytechnic halls, which testify to the facility of our university to keep up with the times, preserving the old.
Over the years, the School of Ukrainian Studies «Step to Ukraine» testified it is a very important tool that helps the world get to know us better. Our students, returning to their environments, families, gradually create the image of modern Ukraine, rejecting stereotypes.
New ideas come from discussions
Discussion clubs are an important part of the «Step to Ukraine» School. They are not only an opportunity for participants to get acquainted with a new topic and discuss it, but also a great atmosphere for creating new ideas. For example, thanks to our guest Ivona Loban, author of the cultural and artistic projects «Under the Star of Pinzel» and «Inspired by Pinzel», we came up with the idea to dedicate one of our textbooks to Ivan Pinzel – a world-famous artist which we do not know well. And there are a lot of such ideas.
I always say: we started as great romantics, and now we stand on a very strong foundation and clearly know how to work and what next steps we will take.