The Ukrainian word without borders: educators and youth are united by love for their native language
On October 28, the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University hosted an interfaculty round table «Ukrainian Word without Borders: To the 27th Anniversary of the International Petro Yatsyk Competition», dedicated to the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language, the history of the native word and its significance for Ukrainian society.
The event was organized and coordinated by the Department of Ukrainian Studies and Historical and Philosophical Studies of the Faculty of Humanities. The meeting began with a welcoming speech by the head of the university’s student research department, Snizhana Vychuzhanina.
The round table was given a special resonance by the speeches of the department’s associate professors Kateryna Bondarchuk, Iryna Voronyuk, and Tetyana Katysh. Their stories proved that the native language can preserve historical memory, touch the heart, inspire, and encourage reflection.
Students and students joined the discussion, presenting their own research and reflections. Vladyslav Hrunsky, a 10th grade student of the Elint Hall, spoke on the topic «Ukrainian Language: Voice of the Nation, Symbol of Freedom and Language of the Future»; Mykyta Korotin (СН–116) — «Petro Yatsyk: Patron of the Ukrainian Word and the Future of the Nation»; Timur Kotenko (БК–916) — «A Competition That Unites the Nation»; Diana Khokhlova (СН–116) — «Don’t Speak: Our Language is a Nightingale» based on the work of Mykola Lototsky; Tymofiy Banchyk (БТЭ–0816) — «Sources of the Ukrainian Language and Its Unique Features»; Illia Musin (М–216) — «Language Resilience in Times of War»; Khrystyna Baranovskaya (БТЭ–1016) — «Language is the Genetic Code of the Ukrainian Nation.»
The emotional addition to the meeting was a poetic performance by Svitlana Balabanova (СН–115) based on Serhiy Zhadan’s work «As Long as You Hate. As Long as You Love.»
The final stage was the interactive quest «Petro Yatsyk: a word that unites generations», prepared under the guidance of Associate Professor Olha Chumachenko. Participants tested their knowledge and learned new facts about the patron and his contribution to the development of the Ukrainian language. The winners were determined based on the results of the quest.
The meeting was also attended by teachers of Ukrainian language and literature from the Zaporizhzhia Academic Lyceum Olena Mukovoz and Tetyana Marchenko, along with 10th grade students. The participation of teachers and high school students demonstrated the importance of cooperation between secondary and higher education institutions, support for young researchers, and joint understanding of the role of the Ukrainian language in modern society.
We sincerely thank all the speakers, participants in the discussion and quest, lecturers, teachers, students and pupils for their activity, meaningful speeches and concern for the fate of the native language.
The Ukrainian word has no borders when it lives in the hearts of people. Let’s protect it, develop it, and pass it on to future generations!
