The mission of the International Educational Coordinating Council (IECC) under the Ukrainian World Congress is to coordinate the work of educational institutions in the diaspora and support the development and advancement of Ukrainian education abroad.
Bringing together the broad global network of Ukrainian schools around the educational projects and initiatives of the Ukrainian World Congress.
Promoting Ukraine’s image, popularizing Ukrainian culture, and advancing Ukraine’s overarching national narrative abroad.
Working jointly with the Government of Ukraine on the establishment of an interagency commission and a dedicated department for Ukrainian education abroad within the structure of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
Cooperating with Ukrainian state authorities to protect the interests and address the needs of Ukrainian schools abroad.
Creating a unified, verified registry of cultural and educational centers abroad according to the type of their operation, including schools, interest-based clubs, cultural and educational centers, and other institutions.
Advocating at the intergovernmental level for the inclusion of the subject “Ukrainian as a Foreign Language” among elective academic disciplines in host countries.
Organizing online psychological support for students, parents, and educators who require assistance and support from professional psychologists, especially during Russia’s full-scale invasion and the forced displacement of Ukrainians.
Developing a mechanism for the state provision of textbooks and educational materials for Ukrainian Saturday and Sunday schools abroad.
Initiating an annual international educational and awareness-raising project for Ukrainian youth abroad, “Ukrainians Who Changed the World,” with the aim of promoting and sharing information about the great achievements of prominent Ukrainians of whom the whole world is proud, while strengthening national consciousness, civic resilience, and patriotism.
Holding annual international festivals of authentic and contemporary koliadky and shchedrivky Christmas carols, as well as a marathon of haivky and Easter games, with the aim of reviving and popularizing Ukrainian calendar-based customs, rites, and traditions among the diaspora.
Developing and implementing educational programs, initiatives, and teaching materials to support diaspora teachers and provide methodological and organizational guidance for Ukrainian education abroad, including educational training sessions, educational events, creative idea labs, master classes, training seminars, and other activities.
Throughout its history, this educational coordinating body has carried out extensive work, described in detail in the reports of IECC heads published in the Congress collections of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians and the Ukrainian World Congress.
View the IECC ArchiveFrom the beginning of its work, IECC focused on developing the “Educational Ideal of a Ukrainian in the Diaspora.” A series of conferences and discussions was held, resulting in the adoption of the first version. A later, updated version was adopted at the 6th UWC Congress in 1993.
“A Ukrainian in the diaspora is a full-fledged citizen or resident of their country, connected to the Ukrainian people and community through a sense of belonging and through the bonds of the Ukrainian language and culture. Their identity is shaped by Christian and ethical values and by creative action for the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian community in their country of residence.”
— From an article by Iroida Wynnytska, Head of IECC, 1988–1998
Head of IECC
Head of the MALIJ branch in Paris
Member of the Board of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations, Education Portfolio
Member of the Board of the Union of Ukrainian Women in France; educator
The goal of the “Ukraine’s History Matters” project is to create a three-in-one informational and methodological guide to support diaspora teachers who teach the academic subject “History of Ukraine” in diaspora schools using a competency-based learning approach, as well as to develop methodological recommendations and teaching materials for students of different age groups. This is a modular teaching guide that enables diaspora teachers to design, adapt, and deliver lessons on the history of Ukraine in a way that is engaging, age-appropriate, and relevant to the needs of Ukrainian students abroad.
The goal of the project is to develop materials, educational programs, recommendations on textbook selection, and sample versions of statutes for diaspora schools that would be useful for the functioning and activities of newly established Ukrainian schools abroad. We hope that this electronic educational “roadmap” will inspire leaders of Ukrainian communities around the world to establish new Ukrainian studies educational centers in places where they do not yet exist or where there are too few of them.
The goal of the project is to introduce the global educational community and the wider public to the advanced pedagogical experience of Ukrainian diaspora education, to present Ukrainian Saturday and Sunday schools, innovative teaching methods, and the distinctive features of Ukrainian educational centers, as well as to introduce creative educators and best educational practices.
The goal of this Ukrainian-Canadian educational project is to facilitate the exchange of pedagogical experience between educators in Canada and Ukraine, to prepare a new generation of teachers with a learner-centered approach to education, with the ability to think critically, make choices, and promote active and creative lifelong learning, as well as to develop soft skills through competency-based learning. The Summer Institute was established under the Teacher Professional Development Institute, which was created in 1992. The Director of the TPDI-IECC is Nadiya Luciw, MA, Head of IECC from 1998 to 2008. The Ukrainian co-directors are Kateryna Horokhovska, Head of the Education Department of Lviv City Council from 2011 to 2013 and Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Dzherelo Educational and Rehabilitation Center in Lviv from 2013 to 2019, and Oksana Wynnyckyj-Yusypovych, Head of IECC from 2008 to 2018.
The goal of this educational and awareness-raising project for Ukrainian youth abroad is to promote and share information about the great achievements of prominent Ukrainians of whom the whole world is proud, while strengthening national consciousness, civic resilience, and patriotism.
The goal of these initiatives is to launch and hold annual cultural and artistic events, including international festivals of authentic and contemporary koliadky and shchedrivky Christmas carols, a marathon of haivky and Easter games, and other activities aimed at reviving and popularizing Ukrainian calendar-based customs, traditions, and rites among the diaspora.
