ATIKOKAN — It’s been one year since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, since then, many Ukrainian families have resettled in northwestern Ontario.
With this influx of newcomers to the community of Atikokan, many with families with small children might find it challenging to adjust to their new social environment.
Atikokan Public Library CEO Tracy Sinclair said that they want to make their children’s centre more accessible to their newest community members by upgrading their resources to accommodate the Ukrainian language.
“We have a lot of Ukrainian families coming into our community. We’ve slowly, last year, purchased a few materials for them, but with the increase in the Ukrainian culture coming, we would like to be able to provide more,” Sinclair said.
The Atikokan Public Library provides social and interactive programming for children as young as infants to enhance motor functions such as hand-eye coordination and memory retention. Sinclair also pointed out that the library is used as a social space for youths and adults to learn more about their neighbours and the community as a whole.
“It’s a way for people to just gather. We do have programming for children and their caregivers. It’s very child-led. There’s singing, there are books, there are crafts, but it’s also a time for parents and caregivers to get together, share stories, make bonds and learn from each other. That’s the goal,” Sinclair said.
Hydro One recently announced that $25,000 was awarded to the Atikokan Public Library to help facilitate their upgrade through their Energizing Life Community Fund.
In addition to purchasing more Ukrainian language resources, Sinclair said the library will be updating their children’s areas with new furniture and shelving.
"We were so honoured to receive the funding," Sinclair said. "Without the funding from Hydro One, and without community support from those organizations, we would never be able to provide this upgrade to our facility. It’s a pretty big chunk of money for us.”
