One can live in this world without guidelines
One can view life in different ways,
And the world will not change in the slightest, -
It all depends on the breadth of one's gaze:
While a wide one reflects a whole epoch,
The narrowed one sees but a trivialized maze.

На світі можна жить без еталонів
По різному дивитися на світ,
Від того світ не зміниться ні трохи, -
Усе залежить від людських зіниць:
В широких відбувається епоха,
У звужених збіговище дрібниць

ePOSHTA is a bilingual (English, Ukrainian), independent, free internet NewsMagazine whose goal is to keep the Ukrainian community, both local and international, informed, interconnected and, most importantly, proactive politically, culturally and with respect to the media.

My political and cultural activism with regard to issues concerning the Ukrainian community, both in the Diaspora and in Ukraine, dates back to the 70’s as an activist in support of the human rights movement in Ukraine and also work with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in lobbying to change the policy proposed in the 70's by the Canadian government from biculturalism and bilingualism to multiculturalism and bilingualism. Over the years, as part of a committed group of similarly-minded activists we realized that by reacting quickly to issues as they arose, we could put forth our concerns in the media (print, TV, and radio) and hopefully influence politicians and the policies they proposed or decisions they made. This is nothing more than effective lobbying.

Clearly, many voices bringing forth the same concerns on a particular issue has greater impact than many uncoordinated messages. Of course, coordinating such lobbying efforts has always been a challenge -- especially when a timely response was required. I can't tell you how many late night phone calls had to be made, faxes and letters had to be sent, and the amount of time spent to bring forth our message. Only the most dedicated of activists were willing to commit to such lobbying.

And yet we knew that seemingly small efforts, presented at the right moment, can tip a political decision in our favour, clarify a misconception, or point out an injustice while the issue was fresh and in the news. Many people feel that they are powerless, that a letter to the editor probably won't be published or that a letter, fax, or phone call from a constituent will not be acted on. And yet, just as many raindrops can turn into a torrent, so too can small efforts from many individuals deliver a powerful message.

With the arrival of the Internet many of these barriers were suddenly removed. A single email could quickly reach hundreds of people and call them to take action. Suddenly our whole posture changed. We could start being pro-active instead of re-active. By keeping people informed on emerging issues we could influence decisions before they were made instead of reacting to them after they were final.

To that end, I started the ePOSHTA email NewsLetter in November 1999. There was an immediate benefit -- much less effort was required to quickly reach a much larger community. Information (like email addresses to politicians and media editors) could be distributed. Protests -- as was the case in the events surrounding the Orange Revolution -- could be quickly marshaled on a broad scale. This allowed us to focus on increasing the reach of ePOSHTA and creating information networks. Thus, organizations like the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Ukrainian World Congress and others could use ePOSHTA as a conduit to elevate the consciousness of the Ukrainian community on a broad range of issues.

Since starting in 1999, due to a highly dedicated, growing, volunteer staff, ePOSHTA has evolved to present a broader portrait of the Ukrainian community. Now a NewsMagazine, it includes sections on social and cultural events, arts and letters, conferences, employment opportunities, current affairs (both in the Diaspora and in Ukraine), Ukrainians in the news, Ukraine and the world, and a business report.

To manage our subscription lists, we use the services of Yahoogroups. We publish a weekly issue which is delivered conveniently to your email inbox.

I invite you to join the ePOSHTA NewsMagazine and participate in it. Ask your friends to join too. We promise to do our best to keep you informed, engaged, and entertained. And when the need arises, we hope to count on your support on issues important to all Ukrainians.

Myroslava Oleksiuk
Editor-in-Chief
Toronto, Canada