The Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) of Canada turned 70 years old this year. On 4 July 1948 the first branch of CYM was opened in Toronto. Seventy years later, it has a membership of over 800 people and includes branches across Canada, from Montreal in the east and Calgary in the west.
CYM began in 1929 as a literary club for 45 conscious Ukrainians in Kyiv. All of the members were arrested by the Bolshevik secret police for anti-Soviet activism and placed on trial in Kharkiv. Every one of those sentenced during this trial would later die for the work they did in CYM. Mykola Pavlushkov, a student of the Kyiv Institute of People’s Education, was the founder of this small organization. He was tried alongside his uncle, Serhiy Yefremov, in Kharkiv in 1930 and was placed in isolation in political concentration camps. He was then transferred to the Solovki prison camp where he began a hunger strike in protest. He was killed on 3 November 1937 in Sandarmokh.
After the Second World War in 1946, when thousands of Ukrainians were placed in displaced person’s camps in Western Europe, CYM was re-established in countries across the globe including Austria, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, USA, France, Australia, Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay, Brazil, Tunisia, Sweden, Spain, Italy and Estonia. CYM in Canada was organized by Ukrainian displaced persons in 1948 and it eventually established branches across Canada, including Fort William, Windsor, Sudbury, Rouyn-Noranda and Vancouver. Today, CYM branches are active in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Etobicoke, Mississauga, St. Catharines, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary.
Past presidents of CYM Canada
On April 28, 2018 this organization officially celebrated its 70th anniversary with a banquet organized by the Ukrainian Youth Association of Mississauga. The Vanguard concert marching band started the celebrations off with the playing of the Canadian and Ukrainian national anthems. Following a rousing melody of marching songs, the CYM anthem Vhoru Prapory (“Raise the Flags”) was played.
Honourable guests included the Honorable Minister of Finance Charles Sousa, Member of Provincial Parliament Yvan Baker, Member of Parliament for Mississauga East Cooksville Peter Fonseca, Mississauga City Councillor Ward 3 Chris Fonseca, Consular General of Ukraine in Toronto Sviatoslav Kavetsky, and President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and a prominent member of CYM Paul Grod.
The artistic program began with the youngest members of CYM – the “Sumeniata” – reciting a poem. Other CYM members marched through the hall and ended in a “CYM” symbol. There was also singing of songs and even a mannequin-type art installation which featured all the benefits of CYM membership: from yearly camps, to support for Ukrainian independence, and work with the local community.
CYM members perform at the banquet
A special ceremony was also performed that honoured all those men and women who were presidents of CYM Canada since 1948. The program ended with the singing of a special song composed by Nadia Kobelak for the 70th anniversary of CYM in Canada.
The evening was capped off with a dance, featuring the band “Zapovid”, which was attended by more than 300 people.
CYM Canada will conclude 70th anniversary celebrations with a special adult (“druzhynyk”) camp that will travel throughout the Yukon Territories this summer. However, there will still be plenty of chances to celebrate with CYM at your local branches as they too will be organizing special events and festivities throughout the year.
