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As part of its efforts to expand academic partnerships in Ukraine, and within the framework of the Kowalsky Program for the Study of Eastern Ukraine, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) at the ����ֱ��, in collaboration with the  (NaUKMA), is launching the Yollar Initiative to support Crimean Studies at NaUKMA.  

“Yollar” means “pathways” in Crimean Tatar. For three years, the “Yollar” Initiative will support NaUKMA’s activities in the field of Crimean studies. The goal of this project, the concept of which was worked on by both institutions—CIUS and NaUKMA—is to further strengthen the academic capacity of the NaUKMA Center for Crimean Studies, both in Ukraine and internationally.

Focusing on Ukraine’s indigenous people, the Crimean Tatars, the Yollar Initiative fulfills the mandate of Kowalsky Endowment for the Study of Eastern Ukraine to research and promote the history, identity, and culture of Eastern, Southern, and Central Ukraine. The initiative continues the institute’s support for Crimean Tatar studies and seeks to expand international engagement in this discipline as part of the broader field of Indigenous studies.  

According to Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, director of CIUS, the geopolitical threats and challenges that have afflicted the Crimean Tatars in Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea for the past eleven years demand geopolitical solutions. CIUS and NaUKMA will collaborate to strengthen international solidarity and foster cooperation between researchers in Crimean Tatar studies and scholars of Indigenous studies.