GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO ANNOUNCES NEW FUNDING FOR HOLODOMOR MOBILE CLASSROOM
In a recent announcement, Ontario Minister of Education Liz Sandals stated that the Government of Ontario would be committing $750,000 to support the Holodomor Mobile Classroom and the Holodomor National Awareness Tour. The “classroom,” which will take form in a specially configured RV bus, is meant to “build understanding, respect, and global citizenship” amongst Canadian youth.
The Holodomor – a man-man famine engineered by the Soviet regime of Joseph Stalin – killed millions of Ukrainians in 1932-33. It is a well-known topic among hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian Canadians, but up until recently has been largely absent from educational curriculums and general public knowledge in Canada.
The mobile classroom is an attempt to reverse that trend. Beginning in the 2015-16 school year it will travel across Ontario and raise awareness about the Holodomor among students in urban, rural, northern, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. The 1,000 square foot, bilingual, wheelchair accessible Holodomor Mobile Classroom will give students across Canada access to a modern and unique learning experience about this Soviet-orchestrated genocide of Ukrainians, providing them with an engaging and authentic learning opportunity through interactive, innovative audio visual and web technologies.
“Ontario is one of the most diverse provinces in Canada,” said Minister Sandals at an event marking the newly released funding. “The Holodomor Awareness Tour will promote a deeper respect for human rights, social justice, and democratic values, helping prepare students for their role as engaged, responsible, and caring global citizens. This dynamic, real-world learning opportunity will build students’ critical thinking, analysis, and 21st century learning skills.”
This new funding comes on the heels of an announcement made in the spring of 2015 in which the Government of Ontario declared it was moving forward with the inclusion of the Holodomor in the newly revised History and Social Studies Ontario secondary school curriculum.
The Holodomor Mobile Classroom and National Awareness Tour will support Canadian and World Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities courses in secondary schools, as well as Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy, which aims to create an inclusive education system that values diversity and respect for others.
The Ontario government has also acknowledged and addressed the Holodomor in previous years, most notably in April 2009 when it passed Bill 147, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act. Significantly, this Act was the first piece of legislation in the province’s history to be introduced with tri-partisan sponsorship, and dedicates the fourth Saturday in November to commemorate the man-made, genocidal famine.
Leading the Holodomor Mobile Classroom initiative is the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF), which will be working in partnership with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre, and the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium.
“We thank the Ontario Ministry of Education for their support for this important and innovative project. The Holodomor Mobile Classroom will teach students across Ontario the truth about the Holodomor and go beyond the textbook by inspiring and empowering students to become active, engaged, and thoughtful citizens,” said Victor Hetmanczuk, CUF President.
In January 2015 Minister for Multiculturalism Jason Kenney announced that the Holodomor Awareness Tour would receive $1.5 million in support from the Canadian government through its Multiculturalism Inter-Action program, whose mandate is to “assist the socio-economic integration of individual and communities and their contributions to building an integrated and socially cohesive society.”
The Canadian Parliament unanimously passed the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide Holodomor Memorial Day Act in May 2008, recognizing the Holodomor as an act of genocide perpetrated against the Ukrainian people.
In a recent announcement, Ontario Minister of Education Liz Sandals stated that the Government of Ontario would be committing $750,000 to support the Holodomor Mobile Classroom and the Holodomor National Awareness Tour. The “classroom,” which will take form in a specially configured RV bus, is meant to “build understanding, respect, and global citizenship” amongst Canadian youth.
The mobile classroom is an attempt to reverse that trend. Beginning in the 2015-16 school year it will travel across Ontario and raise awareness about the Holodomor among students in urban, rural, northern, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. The 1,000 square foot, bilingual, wheelchair accessible Holodomor Mobile Classroom will give students across Canada access to a modern and unique learning experience about this Soviet-orchestrated genocide of Ukrainians, providing them with an engaging and authentic learning opportunity through interactive, innovative audio visual and web technologies.
This new funding comes on the heels of an announcement made in the spring of 2015 in which the Government of Ontario declared it was moving forward with the 
