Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre URDC - MacEwan University

10/20/2026

National Internment Commemoration Day

Saturday, October 24, 2026
2:00 PM — Commemorative Service
St. George Ukrainian Catholic Parish
17305 – 95A St NW, Edmonton

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Mark Minenko
A short commemorative program will follow the service.

We remember. We honour.

10/19/2026

A Look Back at Ukraine Week 2026 🇺🇦

From September 27 to October 1, Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre at MacEwan University brought together students, scholars, artists and community members for another wonderful Ukraine Week!

This year's programming featured the Gene Zwozdesky Documentary Prescreening, URDC Open House, Ukrainian Newcomer Youth Resilience Research Panel, Student Research Presentations, and The Meeting Point, a special event connecting Crimean Tatars of Ukraine and Indigenous Peoples of Canada through dialogue and a hands-on weaving workshop. Our photo exhibition by Olga Ivashchenko also offered a powerful reflection on the resilience of Ukrainians.

A heartfelt thank you to our speakers, partners, volunteers and everyone who joined us! Your support and participation made this week a wonderful celebration of Ukrainian heritage, research, resilience and community.

We're happy to share some of our favourite moments from Ukraine Week 2026 and look forward to welcoming you again next year!

10/16/2026

On September 27, we gathered at MacEwan University for a special prescreening of "Gene: Legacy of a Leader", a documentary celebrating the life, leadership, and lasting impact of the Honourable Gene Zwozdesky 🎬

The afternoon was filled with wonderful memories, heartfelt reflections and meaningful conversations about Gene's remarkable contributions to Alberta and the Ukrainian Canadian community.

A big thank you to the Zwozdesky family for their continued support and for helping us honour Gene's legacy. We are also grateful to our partners, the Alberta Local and International Education Association (ALIEA) and Lindisfarne Productions, for bringing this special event to life.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the afternoon so memorable!

Special thanks to St. John's Legacy Foundation and Alberta Arts, Culture and Status of Women, Government of Alberta for their generous support.

Photo Credit: Anna Zelenenko and Illia Kurtin

10/13/2026

URDC is delighted to welcome acclaimed Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko (Оксана Забужко) for a special online reading and conversation as part of Literature of Freedom, a collaborative initiative between MacEwan University and the Національний університет "Києво-Могилянська академія" - National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA).

🗓️ Thursday, October 15, 2026 | 9:30–11:00 a.m. (Mountain Time)
📍 Livestreamed on our OLD Facebook: Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre - Archived Page

One of Ukraine’s most influential contemporary literary voices, Zabuzhko is a novelist, poet, essayist and philosopher whose internationally recognized works include "Fieldwork in Ukrainian S*x", "The Museum of Abandoned Secrets" and "Notre Dame d’Ukraine". She is also a recipient of Ukraine’s prestigious Taras Shevchenko National Prize.

This conversation is open to everyone. We hope you'll join us for this special event!

10/09/2026

Last week, Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre was honoured to welcome Anna Palenchuk, our 2026/27 Gene Zwozdesky Artist in Residence, to MacEwan University 🎬

Anna is a film producer, scriptwriter and co-founder of Ukrainian production company 435 FILMS and Be Brave Films Inc. in Canada. Her work has been presented at major international festivals including Cannes, Berlinale, TIFF, IDFA, Hot Docs, and many others, and she has collaborated with acclaimed filmmakers from Ukraine and around the world.

Her recent projects include "Eurodonbas", "In the Rearview", and "Malevych", which has been screened internationally and released in Ukraine, the United States, and Canada.

We are so pleased to have Anna joining the MacEwan community this year and are excited to see what her residency will bring through new creative work!

10/08/2026

Thank you to The Griff and journalist Krissy Berkholtz for highlighting Ukrainian photojournalist Olga Ivashchenko and her powerful photography exhibition at MacEwan University Library!

We invite you to read the article and discover the stories behind her remarkable photographs:

thegriff.ca/its-always-history-ukrainian-photo-exhibition-depicts-life-amid-war/?fbclid=IwY2xjawU0sOpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDI1NjI4MTA0MDU1OAABHieKJEkL3YMb8AVzjbF4M0m6HrJXMVoJRrkkxz6rp2XrYtZSlG_SOhaUH4d7_aem_z7GdOgbxbrkWD_PflKFAtg

Olga Ivashchenko’s Ukraine Through Wartime is on display in the John L. Haar Library until mid-October.

10/07/2026

As part of Ukraine Week 2026, the John L. Haar Library at MacEwan University featured a special book and photo exhibition throughout September and October, highlighting the powerful work of Ukrainian photojournalist Olga Ivashchenko.

Through her lens, Olga captures deeply human stories from across Ukraine - moments of strength, resilience, loss, connection and hope. Her photography focuses on the experiences of individuals and communities, preserving their stories with sensitivity and dignity. We were grateful to have her remarkable work featured in the MacEwan University Library as part of this year’s Ukraine Week.

The exhibition was on display throughout September and October, giving visitors an opportunity to experience Ukraine’s story through the people and moments captured through Olga’s lens.

If you missed it, there is another chance to visit, the exhibition will return to the John L. Haar Library this November. Stay tuned for more details 🇺🇦

10/02/2026

What a meaningful way to continue the conversations and connections that grew from The Meeting Point: Turtle Island and Qırım Indigenous Epistemologies🌎

Yesterday, we were grateful to welcome friends and colleagues for a thoughtful panel reflecting on the Summer Institute and the relationships, learning and dialogue that emerged from bringing together Crimean Tatars, Indigenous peoples and scholars from Canada, and Ukrainian and international scholars. The conversation was followed by a weaving workshop, creating another beautiful space to connect, share, learn and spend time together.

A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful speakers, workshop participants and everyone who joined us. We are so grateful for the generosity, openness and care that made this gathering so special.

The Meeting Point is a collaboration between Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC) at MacEwan University, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta and Şefika Gaspıralı Uluslararası Kadın Birliği together with our Crimean Tatar, Turkish, Canadian and Ukrainian partners and colleagues.

09/28/2026

Інформація українською – нижче

These days, Ukraine Week 2026 is taking place at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada. The annual series of events is organised by MacEwan University and its Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre URDC - MacEwan University.

MacEwan University is a member of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies. This year’s programme explores Ukrainian culture and literature, the war and resilience, migration and the experiences of Ukrainian youth in Canada, as well as dialogue between the Crimean Tatar community of Ukraine and Indigenous peoples of Canada.

The programme includes a photo exhibition by Ukrainian photojournalist Olga Ivashchenko, a research panel on Ukrainian newcomer youth in Canada, student research presentations, and an online reading and conversation with Ukrainian poet Yaryna Chornohuz as part of a joint course between MacEwan University and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

📅 Details and the full Ukraine Week 2026 schedule: https://www.macewan.ca/campus-life/opportunities/urdc-ukraine-week/

УКР

Цими днями в MacEwan University в Едмонтоні триває Ukraine Week 2026 — щорічна серія подій, організована MacEwan University та Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre при університеті.

MacEwan University є членом Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies. Цьогорічна програма охоплює теми української культури та літератури, війни й стійкості, міграції та досвіду української молоді в Канаді, а також діалогу між кримськотатарською спільнотою України та корінними народами Канади.

Серед подій — фотовиставка української фотожурналістки Ольги Іващенко, дослідницька панель про українську молодь у Канаді, студентські презентації та онлайн-зустріч із поеткою Яриною Чорногуз у межах спільного курсу MacEwan University та Національного університету «Києво-Могилянська академія».

📅 Деталі та повний розклад Ukraine Week 2026: https://www.macewan.ca/campus-life/opportunities/urdc-ukraine-week/

09/28/2026

Join us online for Literature of Freedom: A Live Reading with Yaryna Chornohuz as part of a collaborative English course between MacEwan University and the Національний університет "Києво-Могилянська академія" (NaUKMA).

🗓 Thursday, October 1, 2026 | 9:30–11:00 a.m. (MDT) | 6:30–8:00 p.m. (Kyiv time)
📍 Livestreamed on our OLD Facebook: Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre - Archived Page

Through readings from her work and conversation, Chornohuz will reflect on freedom, war, memory, loss and lived experience in contemporary Ukraine.

Yaryna Chornohuz serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is the author of three poetry collections, and received the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine for Literature in 2024.

We look forward to having you join us!