Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many Ukrainians have found it necessary to leave their country in search of safety and security. 

The federal government has funded emergency accommodations in hotel rooms for those who arrive without immediately accessible housing, but this support only lasts two weeks, which has proved to be insufficient time for many individuals and families struggling to adapt to a new country. 

In response to this need for longer term housing, many Albertans have opened their homes to Ukrainian displaced persons. Not only Ukrainian Canadians, but Edmontonians from a variety of cultural and national backgrounds have reached out to help. 

We want to document their stories. 

We hope that, by exploring the desire to help these seeming outsiders to the community in need, we can identify ways that more Canadians may be mobilized to support displaced persons and refugees fleeing this and other crises, now and in the future.

Sharing our research is necessary for achieving this goal. To do so, we will record our interviews with video and audio, take photos of any relevant images or mementos shown to us by participants, and then use this material to create a public presentation consisting of a short film, lecture, and discussion. We aim to complete our project and hold this event by the end of April 2024. Afterwards, the project records will be kept in the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) archive at the University of Alberta for the benefit of future researchers and oral historians. 

For any questions about our project, including ethical clearance by the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, contact project supervisor Dr. Natalia Khanenko-Friesen at nkhanenk[at]ualberta[dot]ca.