Ukrainians hope to preserve their culture in Grande Prairie

Students learn about Ukrainian history and culture during the Ukrainian School at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Grande Prairie, Alta. on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. Parents and community members have gathered to help ensure Ukrainian children learn about their culture and keep speaking their language. (Photo by Jesse Boily)

For almost a year, newly settled Ukrainian children in Grande Prairie, Alta., gather every Saturday to learn their native language and more about their culture for a few hours.

Ridna Shkola - roughly translated to My School - hopes to preserve the children’s Ukrainian culture as they adapt to life in Canada.

“The whole purpose of the Ukrainian school was so that children do not forget their own language,” said Yuliia Ternavshchenko, one of the school’s founders who arrived in Canada just over a year ago.

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Ternavshchenko says her daughter, at the age of 6, prefers to play in English at home now. In speaking with other parents, she said many children are similar and are forgetting their first language.

“We call that subtractive bilingualism; it’s when your second language supersedes your ability to speak your first,” said Alina Ovsiy, whose family moved to Grande Prairie from Ukraine in 2011. Ovsiy works as a teacher at Peace Wapiti Academy and notes that many people struggle with their identity after moving to Canada.

“It’s not like we want to be just Ukrainian; we want to be the best versions of ourselves, but preserve the Ukrainian part of ourselves, the culture, the traditions, and that’s what Canada stands for: Seamless integration in your identity with your cultural heritage, but also adaptation to this culture without losing yourself.”

There are about 30 students between the ages of five and 13 in Ridna Shkola. Many of its students have arrived in Canada within the last three years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian war has not only killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians but is also an attack on Ukrainian identity and culture, according to media reports.

Ovsiy says historically, Ukrainian culture and language has struggled being suppressed by the Russian empire in the 1800s and its further attacks in later years.

“For a lot of people, it’s history,” said Ovsiy, but she said for many - like her parents - it’s a lived experience that’s been passed down to their children.

“They just want their children to retain some part of their own culture, and language is a big part of our culture,” said Ovsiy.

“Culture is not just language, but without language, culture is not the same.”

Ternavshchenko says some of the children who have come to Grande Priaire have not yet learned to read and write in Ukrainian and that the school is a place for them to learn.

Workbooks teaching how to write Cyrillic script, Ukrainian heritage, festivals, customs, history and geography of Ukraine are part of the classes.

Dancing, chess, and arts round out the course offerings so the children can experience using their language outside of a classroom setting.

Ternavshchenko said the hope is the students can begin using their language more conservationally.

Teachers at the school have volunteered much of their time, and the school is working on ways to compensate them financially. Some are new to Canada as well and have left teaching jobs in Ukraine.

The parents have also been instrumental in ensuring that the school is maintained.

“If it wasn’t for the parents, this organization or this service couldn’t exist,” said Ternavshchenko.

She said the parents bought supplies for the classes and help buy what else is needed.

The school has also become a place for the parents to socialize with others in their community; many face similar issues as they work together to navigate the Canadian immigration system and they share tips and advice.

The school is also seeking support from organizations such as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Ridna Shkola Ukrainian Heritage Language School of Edmonton for educational resources and financial support.

The school is currently run out of the Dormition of the Mother of God Church in the Avondale area. Renovations are also underway to run a daycare and house Ridna Shkola.

Ternavshchenko is thankful that Canada is so accepting and that people support Ukrainians and is hopeful the school in Grande Prairie can continue to grow.

The school will be celebrating its first anniversary in March.

By Jesse Boily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News