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Participants from Ukraine, and from the IES in particular, took part in the Social Week in France

2010-03-24 15:45

It’s 4000 participants considered the topic of new solidarity in the solving of various social problems in French society. The French Social Week and its vice-president Bernard Chenevez invited 10 Ukrainian participants, among who were two representatives of IES, a member of IXE, and also the representatives of UCU and the journalists.

This year’s session placed its emphasis on the idea that the casting aside of another person (who does not cease being our neighbor) leads not only to the growth of the marginalization of an important part of the population, but also to the facilitation of the overall ruination of the social fabric. The problem is this: despite the increase in social protection, the number of cases of exclusion from the social environment of a part of society is continually growing. The three days of the program presented three questions regarding these new forms of solidarity that must be found: why does society need them? How can they be achieved? Will they become catalysts for the creation of a new society? Together with the seminars, there were also six working groups, the participants of which discussed the new conceptions of the family, the development of health care, solidarity in the economy, the problem of migrants, a comparative look at rural and urban space, and the provision of housing. During the Social Week there were also a large number of exhibitions of various social organizations, which gave examples of the search for new solidarities in their countries.

Besides this, on November 22, the Ukrainian group had the opportunity to take part in a Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, which was dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holodomor in 1932-1933 in Ukraine. This is already the eighth time the Ukrainian community has annually come to the cathedral to pray and remember this tragic page in the history of Ukraine.