34 Years of Supporting Ukrainian Education
For more than three decades, the Summer Institute has served as a bridge of collaboration, innovation and professional solidarity between Canadian and Ukrainian educators. Here is how this remarkable journey began — and where the programme stands today.
- 1992 the year the Institute was founded
- 34 years of uninterrupted work
- 2 institutes each summer, in two different cities
- ~25 Ukrainian co-instructors every summer
Summer Institute participants and instructors on the steps of Chernivtsi City Hall
Our Roots and Leadership (1992)
Following the restoration of Ukraine's independence, the Summer Institute was founded in 1992 through the vision of its founder Nadia Luciw, who went on to chair SKVOR from 1998 to 2008.
The Institute is an initiative of the Teachers' Professional Development Institute (IPRV) in Toronto, operating under the auspices of the World Coordinating Educational Council (SKVOR) of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC).
From day one the mission was clear: bring Canadian educators together with Ukrainian school teams to exchange pedagogical experience and move towards modern, learner-centred teaching.
Many of the core methodologies and competency standards that today form the foundation of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) originate in concepts advanced at our institutes.
A Model of Collaboration, and Widening Horizons
Rather than training individuals, the Institute pioneered a collaborative model — working with entire school leadership teams: principals, vice-principals, special education specialists and teachers across subject disciplines, including the sciences, mathematics, language and literature, and the primary grades.
Every summer the Institute is a week-long intensive, with two separate institutes running in two different locations for maximum reach. We work closely with the Lviv Centre for the Professional Development of Educators, and over decades of work the Institute has visited dozens of cities and towns across Ukraine.
- Chernivtsi
- Ivano-Frankivsk
- Mukachevo
- Davydiv
- Lviv
Summer Institute 2026: Ukraine — Canada, Chernivtsi — Davydiv
While individual teams from rural communities have taken part in the programme from time to time over the years, this year marked a historic milestone: for the first time, the Institute devoted an entire week exclusively to supporting rural schools, bringing specialised training directly to education teams from small communities.
Reflecting on why Canadian instructors devote their summers to this mission, Director Boryslav Bilash II shared a powerful message with this summer's participants:
People often ask our Canadian instructors: why do we do what we do? Why do we fly across an ocean to bring this Institute to Ukraine?
As Plast scouts, we follow the ideal of "helping others." But the answer runs far deeper, and it is a feeling shared by a great many Canadians who have never even worn a scouting uniform. Please understand: we do not identify simply as Canadians. We are Ukrainian Canadians. Our DNA is Ukrainian.
We are Ukrainians no matter which building we call home. It does not matter that our house physically stands thousands of kilometres from here; our spiritual home is the same native home as yours. So why do we come here to spend this time with you? We come because we are one family. When Ukraine hurts, our hearts hurt too. And when Ukraine builds its future — we want to build it shoulder to shoulder with you. We come to look you in the eye and to remind you — and ourselves — that at every step, you will never walk this road alone.
An Unbroken Commitment Through Pandemic and War
Whether facing global lockdowns or wartime hardship, this commitment to Ukrainian education has never wavered.
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2021
The COVID summer
When international travel came to a halt, Canadian instructors kept the Institute running by teaching remotely, while dedicated Ukrainian co-instructors worked with participants directly in classrooms in Ukraine.
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2022 to today
Shoulder to shoulder
Despite the challenges of the full-scale invasion, Canadian instructors continue to travel directly to Ukraine during the war. They adapt to blackouts and air-raid alerts, standing shoulder to shoulder with their colleagues to underline that supporting the educational front is vital to Ukraine's resilience and its future.
Passing the Torch (2026)
A cornerstone of the Institute's enduring success is its train-the-trainer philosophy. Each summer roughly 25 exceptional Ukrainian co-instructors join the teaching faculty. Many of these leading educators and methodology experts first came to us as workshop participants, completed the courses, and were later selected to teach alongside the Canadian team — ensuring these innovative practices take deep root locally.
For many years the Institute's work in Ukraine was guided with tremendous dedication by Kateryna Horokhovska, who served as Director for Ukraine until 2026.
This year saw a smooth transition: Nadia Luciw and Kateryna Horokhovska formally passed the torch to a new leadership team — Director Boryslav Bilash II and Co-Director for Ukraine Lida Andrushko. Although Lida officially took up the role of Co-Director in 2026, she has been a devoted driving force and mainstay of the Institute since its earliest days.
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Nadia Luciw
Founder of the Institute · Chair of SKVOR 1998–2008 -
Kateryna Horokhovska
Director for Ukraine until 2026 -
Boryslav Bilash II
Director of the Institute, from 2026 -
Lida Andrushko
Co-Director for Ukraine, from 2026
The Institute does not simply teach subjects — it invests in people
At its core, this work is guided by a simple philosophy: true leadership means active service, constant self-improvement and learning by doing.
By equipping educators with the tools of active inquiry and critical thinking, the programme helps raise a generation of independent, resilient young people ready to build, to serve and to lead their nation into the future.