The League of Ukrainian Canadian Women is currently engaged in the following projects:

• Annual Meeting: World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations
• Stop the Trafficking Coalition
• Community Conference: "Yesterday, today, tomorrow..."

Annual Meeting: World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations.

The Annual Meeting of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations will be held on September 3-5, 2004 in Rome, Italy. The aim of the meeting's organizers is to enable the participation of newly established women's organizations throughout Europe and to facilitate an exchange of ideas and experiences to further their development. The League of Ukrainian Canadian Women will be participating with a presentation on the benefits of building working relationships between youth organizations and women's organizations.

Stop the Trafficking Coalition.

Stop the Trafficking Coalition is a Canada-wide initiative that is pursuing three objectives: 1) to prevent the most vulnerable elements of society from falling into the hands of traffickers, 2) to combat the modern-day version of the slave trade and those that perpetrate it, and 3) to help victims of trafficking successfully reintegrate into society. The Coalition is an initiative that was sparked by the publication of Ukrainian Canadian journalist Victor Malarek's book The Natashas - The New Global Sex Trade in 2003. Among the coalition's various initiatives are the organization of book launches, website and internet activities, job placement campaigns and the promotion of a bill that would punish traffickers and customers as well as help the victims.

The League of Ukrainian Canadian Women is an active member of Stop the Trafficking Coalition. In conjunction with the Buduchnist Credit Union, the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women funded a copy of Victor Malarek's The Natashas for every Canadian Member of Parliament to help raise awareness of the issue.

Yesterday, today, tomorrow:
Conference addresses political potential of Ukrainian community in Canada.

The first in a series of regional conferences, organized by the League of Ukrainian Canadians (LUC) and the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women (LUCW), was held in Toronto on April 24, 2004. The one-day program, entitled "Yesterday, today, tomorrow...", featured twelve speakers, two panels, two keynote speeches and a round table discussion, and was attended by 88 people from Toronto and southwestern Ontario.

The first keynote speech, "Making a difference in the community", was delivered by Lesia Chyczij, a lawyer by profession. Speaking with the experience of a lifelong volunteer in various organizations, Chyczij addressed the topic of attracting volunteers.

The first panel, "Canada-Ukraine Relations: Cooperation for Mutual Benefit", featured presentations and discussions by Senator Raynell Andreychuk, Borys Potapenko, Dr. Yarema Kelebay and Serhiy Kasyanchuk. The panelists addressed the issues of practical areas of cooperation between Canada and Ukraine, including the transfer of Canadian expertise to Ukrainian NGOs and how the Ukrainian Canadian community benefits from these relations.

Following the first panel, the second keynote address featured community activist Irena Soltys from the Stop the Trafficking Coalition.

The second panel then convened to discuss the topic "The Ukrainian Community in Canada: Presence and Influence." Panelists included Marta Olynyk, Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk, Lida Preyma and Borys Wrzesnewskyj.

Conference participants were then divided into four groups for the purpose of round table discussions. Each group was charged with the task of developing recommendations and priorities for the League of Ukrainian Canadians and League of Ukrainian Canadian Women specifically, and the Ukrainian Canadian community in general. Some of the common findings that were repeated in virtually all of the groups were:

1) the need to shift focus to Ottawa and increase activities in the nation's capital, including a conference in Ottawa and a "Ukrainian Night" for MPs of all political colors and stripes;

2) the need to put greater focus on youth organizations with a view of encouraging young Ukrainian Canadians to become politicians and journalists; 3) the need to organize seminars for students on how to deal with MPs, political parties, and the media; 4) the need to prioritize the community's external image; 5) the need to encourage and include new Canadians in community life, and 6) the need to a create media-watch program and/or group.

Conference organizers plan to hold similar one-day proceedings in Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton with a view towards developing more ideas and building a network of people with whom to work.