Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John's get class of their own

Students fill the classroom at a St. John's, Nfld. school offering weekend programming in Ukraine's history, language, and culture. (Garrett Barry, CTV News)

Roughly 50 children will gather in a St. John's classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.

The weekend program — called a Ridna Shkola — is the first of its kind in Newfoundland and Labrador, but joins a rich history of similar classes across the country.

"For us, it gives us feeling that we are part of this community," said Liubov Hrysiuk, who is teaching one of the program’s three age groups.

"We can talk, we can celebrate our holidays together. Maybe we can help each other."

For Hrysiuk — who trained and worked as a teacher in Ukraine — the Saturday classes bring back familiar and friendly memories.

"It was like, 'I'm back in my past, and I'm in Ukraine with the best students ever,'" she said.

She arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2023, one of the many Ukrainian citizens who’ve moved to St. John’s since her country was invaded by Russia in 2022.

Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial government went to great lengths to attract Ukrainians who were considering leaving their country.

Staff at the provincial immigration office established a support desk in Poland to advertise directly to people seeking asylum, and the province also directly organized four airlifts of Ukranians in 2022.

About 700 people immigrated to Newfoundland and Labrador in those airlifts. Sofia Dubyk, who works with the Ukranian National Federation in the province, now estimates the Ukranian population has grown to about 3,500.

Her group organized the Saturday lessons, pushing to put the classes together after a few weeks of organizing.

"Two years ago… we [were] not ready to come to another country and start from zero," she said, adding Ukrainians like her received many "gifts" from provincial officials and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

"Now I think a big part of Ukrainians here have a job, have a place to live, and we can start to give something back to the local community."

The program will cement the link between Ukrainian children, some as young as five, to Ukrainian culture. Dubyk said she'd like to expand with a pre-school program in the future.

Similar Ridna Shkolas across the country have served as a crucial link between Canadians with Ukrainian heritage, and new Canadian residents fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Olena Shyian helped create a program in Regina in 2009, re-establishing a class that had gone dormant in the 1970s.

Lately, it's been a place where her children can learn from Ukrainian children, and vice-versa.

"Both are benefiting," she said. "The kids who were born here, or second or third generation, are learning Ukrainian, building friendships, integrating and communicating together."

In St. John's, Hrysiuk is teaching her students about some Canadian icons with Ukrainian roots.

"You have so many talented and famous people," she said. "Like Wayne Gretzky, for example."

With files from NTV