A Ukrainian Newton North High School student is playing a key role in building a network of volunteers to help Ukrainian refugees learn English.
Andrey Sarkanich, a senior at Newton North High School, is the Head of Chapter Management of EDUkraine, a nonprofit that has been established recently to teach Ukrainian refugees English for free.
At least 2,000 Ukrainian refugees live in Massachusetts, where their lack of knowledge of the English language is barring them from valuable opportunities.
“It’s a sad situation that we are working to change,” said Sarkanich.
EDUkraine began in July of 2023 as a school club at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts. According to Jayden Yoon, a senior at St. Mark’s School and co-founder and president of EDUkraine, it was started by a small group of like-minded friends, all of whom came to discover the potential for EDUkraine’s services.
“As we worked with local nonprofit organizations to recruit students to pair with club members at my school, we realized that there was significant demand for our services. There were a lot of Ukrainian refugees in Massachusetts who needed to improve their English,” said Yoon.
Since then, EDUkraine’s reach has expanded to connect with refugees in more than 30 countries and more than 20 states. It regularly works with numerous nonprofits in both the United States and Ukraine – including Olga’s List, Earthlings Hub, and Ascentria Care Alliance. The nonprofits, says Yoon, are essential in connecting EDUkraine to the vast network of refugees who would like to build their English-speaking skills.
EDUkraine recruits volunteer English teachers from around the world, and when they are accepted into EDUkraine – most typically are – they commit to contributing a minimum of 30 minutes a week for 3 months for online lessons with their students. Although EDUkraine has a curriculum, the volunteers are given significant latitude regarding how they structure their lessons. As a result, they are able to have natural, human conversations with their pupils.
“So much benefit is derived by both the teachers and the students,” said Sarkanich. “The students experience significant improvements in their English-speaking abilities, and they build much-needed confidence. The teachers are able to forge deep personal connections with some pretty remarkable and resilient people.”
Added Sarkanich, “We really hope that we’re able to reach as many people as possible about EDUkraine, so we can help as many as possible. We rely extensively on social media for outreach.”
Sarkanich said that EDUkraine’s growing chapter network – with posts in Newton, Southborough, Dedham, Houston, New Hyde Park, London, and Los Angeles – is also a key asset for the organization. “The current six chapters should prove very useful for grassroots and community-level operations,” he added.
Both Sarkanich and Yoon have very personal connections to EDUkraine. Sarkanich is the son of Ukrainians who immigrated to the United States in 2000, while Yoon has close ties with many individuals in the Ukrainian-American community. Two of Yoon’s close friends, who are both Ukrainian, are fellow co-founders of the organization.
According to Yoon, “EDUkraine is much more than helping Ukrainians study English. All of this is done with one purpose—to build a strong network. This network serves as a place where incoming Ukrainian refugees can receive help and cover their primary needs.”
Sarkanich said that EDUkraine welcomes volunteers and donations to support its efforts.
Janie Blumenthal and Andrey Sarkanich are Fig City News student reporters and Seniors at Newton North High School.
