Antuanetta Babkina: Building a Ukrainian Student Home in Halifax

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/12/12

Antuanetta Babkina is a science student at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and the founder-president of the first Ukrainian student club in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and across Canada’s East Coast. She created the region’s first formal platform for Ukrainian students, uniting members from multiple campuses and local high schools to build community, preserve culture, and support newcomers adjusting to life in Canada. A longtime volunteer, Babkina emcees cultural events, sings in the Ukrainian church choir, and collaborates with national organizations such as SUSK and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress—her work centres on youth leadership, diaspora identity, and the defence of Ukraine’s democratic future.

In this conversation, Scott Douglas Jacobsen speaks with Babkina about founding the first Ukrainian student club in Halifax and across Canada’s East Coast. She explains how immigration, war, and the search for belonging led her to build a formal platform uniting Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian students. They discuss university politics, emotional support, networking, SUSK and tuition advocacy, and the strain of living abroad while family remains under threat. Babkina reflects on language, identity, resistance to Russification, and her hope that grateful, empowered youth leadership will shape the future Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and worldwide in the years ahead.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we’re here with Antuanetta Babkina, a science student at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and a leading young voice within the Ukrainian community on Canada’s East Coast. She founded and now leads the first Ukrainian student club in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and across Canada’s East Coast, creating the region’s first formal platform for Ukrainian students. Under her leadership, the club unites students from several campuses, strengthens ties with the local community, and promotes Ukrainian culture and advocacy. A longtime volunteer, she emcees community events, sings in the Ukrainian church choir, and supports national Ukrainian-Canadian student initiatives and partnerships across Canada. What moment in your life or personal narrative motivated you to create the Ukrainian student club in Halifax?

Antuanetta Babkina: As an immigrant who arrived about 10 years ago, I lacked a sense of belonging or community in a Ukrainian-Canadian environment. Now, more than ever, as people are being forcibly displaced, they are looking for a sense of belonging and home. I want to provide that opportunity and help them adjust to the Canadian environment, where the systems are different.

Jacobsen: How large is the student club now?

Babkina: We have 50 members, but we are always looking for more.

Jacobsen: Do you have all the formal structures in place—bylaws, elections, and so on?

Babkina: Yes. We are officially ratified by Saint Mary’s University (SMU). That is where we are based, even though we invite students from all universities across Nova Scotia, as well as high school students.

Jacobsen: How would you describe the club’s growth from a group of one to 50? What were the key breakthroughs?

Babkina: Much of the organizational structures and ideas came from me, although some were inspired by Marichka. However when it came to the execution — once our executive team has been established, I delegated some of the tasks to our leaders, out of whom Adia Parr, our Vice President played a key role in supporting the society through the execution of the tasks at hand. We have been expanding our social media presence to invite more youth to join our initiatives, because young people are more likely to be on social media than to look at bulletin boards at local events.

Jacobsen: How do you unite students? What does building a community like that look like?

Babkina: Much of our society includes non-Ukrainian students who are interested in Ukrainian culture. I can connect with them across language barriers. We can speak in English, and I can explain political issues more clearly. I can present the problems that need attention and that they can relate to. We have students from Uzbekistan, for example, who understand the pressure from Russia as a neighbour and who have also been displaced because of the growing conflict in that region.

Jacobsen: Is Saint Mary’s distributed across multiple campuses?

Babkina: No, we have only one campus in Halifax.

Jacobsen: That makes things a bit easier. What challenges do you face when coordinating with the student government, faculty, staff, and administration to host events for Ukrainians or people interested in Ukrainian issues?

Babkina: There is much pressure to be socially accepting of all viewpoints. Having strong beliefs, including anti-genocidal beliefs, both personally and within the society, I cannot endorse anti-Ukrainian views, but also cannot openly deny them. The university requires us to accept all views, which is the biggest issue. How can you stand against something wrong but not be allowed to say that it is bad?

Jacobsen: What emotional needs do you serve for students in the diaspora? What cultural needs do you support? Events and fashion shows, as I’m learning, are part of this broader national initiative.

Babkina: From an emotional perspective, Ukrainian Students’ Day just passed on Monday, and we celebrated with a board game night on Friday. We encourage students to come and socialize with others who share similar experiences and to begin building their network. Networking is vital in Canada, which is not a system used in Ukraine, and adjusting to that process by finding people who think like you—people who may go on to become doctors, or if you want to become a doctor, or lawyers, or work in policy—can help you in the future. One of the events we held recently was with a politician, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Justice, Peter MacKay. We spoke with him because Remembrance Day was approaching. Commemorating the soldiers who fell during World Wars I and II is a significant tradition in Canada. I wanted to emphasize that the principles for which they fought, reflected in the Geneva Conventions, are still being fought for today in places like Syria, Ukraine, and Georgia. Giving Ukrainian students in our society the opportunity to speak with a well-established politician helped them feel welcome, understood, and heard.

Jacobsen: What specific event that you hosted best captured the spirit of the club?

Babkina: Ukrainian Independence Day, of course. That week was very full of events. I was seated at one of the Independence Day markets happening at the time. We were also supposed to have a picnic with the East Coast Ukrainian Association. Still, because of forest fire risks, it had to be postponed.

Jacobsen: Are there other groups working toward similar aims, and others that may be antagonistic?

Babkina: Could you explain more what you mean by antagonistic?

Jacobsen: Antagonistic in the sense of pro-Russian community groups that believe the false claim that Ukraine invaded.

Babkina: There are groups like that on both ends of the spectrum, and people have the right to their own opinions. All we can do is show them another perspective and let them choose. In Nova Scotia specifically, I have not noticed many such groups or adverse reactions toward the Ukrainian perspective on the war. I have seen more positive feedback and support from the local community, which I try to engage by creating a society like ours. Youth are the future of Canada and every country. By incorporating Ukrainian perspectives, which are part of Canadian history, we strengthen that connection. Ukrainians have been immigrating to Canada for a long time, and the Ukrainian diaspora here is the largest in the world.

Jacobsen: Yes, 4% of Canada’s population—1.4 million people.

Babkina: My apologies. I was referring more to heritage than to exact population numbers, but my numbers may have been incorrect.

Jacobsen: There are large communities in the Prairie provinces—Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan—and in Ontario as well.

Babkina: We have several Ukrainian-named villages in Canada.

Jacobsen: I saw those. Some are spelled almost identically; others are anglicized homophones. They sound similar—like how “computer” in English becomes “konpyūtā” in Japanese. Very close, just adapted. How much time do you spend volunteering each month?

Babkina: Volunteering per month? I do various forms of volunteering, not just for society, although society takes most of my time. I would say about 10 to 12 hours for the society itself, and maybe four more hours volunteering for things like the Community Development Summit we had in May, which I also attended, or the Ukrainian Independence Day Market, or the fairs we organize to increase exposure for the society and for the Ukrainian community in general.

Jacobsen: What role does SUSK play in amplifying East Coast Ukrainian student voices at the national level?

Babkina: At the moment, we are still going through the bureaucratic process of joining SUSK, but our goal is to eventually support Ukrainian students studying here on international visas by advocating for them to pay domestic tuition. NSCC, the local community college, offered this to Ukrainian students beginning in 2022, about a year after the full-scale invasion started.

Jacobsen: How many Ukrainian students do you know at Saint Mary’s now?

Babkina: Not many. Including myself, about five or six that I know personally. But I am aware of many high school students who want to graduate and pursue post-secondary education, but cannot because of their financial situation. International fees are not cheap.

Jacobsen: True. Have you been able to make any trips back to Lviv or any other Ukrainian city?

Babkina: I have, but not during the war. I plan to go this summer.

Jacobsen: Are you hoping the war will end by summer 2026? Is that what you mean?

Babkina: Whether it does or not, I’m going. I miss home so much.

Jacobsen: Are there any parts of Canadian culture that overlap helpfully with Ukrainian culture?

Babkina: I find quite a bit of overlap. As I mentioned, on Remembrance Day, our first multi-university collaboration event with Peter MacKay and the Dalhousie Conservative Club was held in honour of Remembrance Day to remind everyone of the values the world war heroes fought for and how they are still fought for today. Both cultures hope for a better future and fight for similar values. Ukrainian culture blends well with Canadian culture, especially with Indigenous cultures. Our embroidered shirts have similarities, as do some of our traditional instruments. They’re all made to express individuality. It’s ironic how much our cultures intertwine, even though we are on separate continents.

Jacobsen: In your conversations with Ukrainians, and in your own experience, how does living abroad while the war continues at home feel?

Babkina: Painful. I sympathize with everyone going through what they’re going through. It’s hard to experience that and still relate to people back home, to say that I am Ukrainian, when they believe that because I am not experiencing air raids or bombings, I do not fully understand.

Jacobsen: I’ve heard about this.

Babkina: It isn’t easy to relate to and have my work accepted in the Ukrainian community. Many people think I do this to make myself feel better rather than to strengthen the community and help people feel like they belong, even though many of them do not want to be here—they want to be home.

Jacobsen: In conversations I’ve had with women who have been through the war—some of whom could leave and return because they weren’t restricted like men—I’ve noticed something. When you ask how they feel, many say it has been so long that they feel numb. They don’t have the emotional vocabulary anymore because everything has been suppressed or flattened by the experience. Their affect collapses under the weight of it. Sometimes it takes a bomb landing near them for something to break, for them to cry, and then everything pours out. What has been your experience in conversations with people who feel numb or unable to articulate what they’re going through?

Babkina: When it comes to physical reactions I’ve seen, even fireworks can be unsettling for many people. When I talk to those who have experienced war, there is often a kind of visible apathy, as they try to distance themselves from what they lived through and from where they are now. Many are grateful that they can explore the world—come to Canada or go to Europe—but not under these circumstances. That is the painful part, because everyone wants the chance to explore their identity and pursue their goals. 

When it is forced—when you do not have the option to choose—everything becomes more complicated. This is one of the biggest reasons I started the society. I want to give people the opportunity to decide what they want to see and how they want the Ukrainian diaspora to develop. We all want to build a better future for ourselves and our children, even though it is early for me to think that way, since I am only just nearing 20.

Jacobsen: Yes. In Canada, people now often start families or reach ‘major life milestones’ in their thirties. Germany was the first country where that happened, so the cultural timeline has shifted. For people who are here and have lived through war, some have been able to pursue education and will go on to build their lives and dreams.

On the other hand, there are cases like Ukrainian children who have been abducted and put through a very robust Russification process. One woman I interviewed works to document these cases and help some children receive humanitarian support. Many of these kids have missed years of education. They have to unlearn a great deal and then navigate a new environment.

The young woman I interviewed—originally from Crimea or the Donbas—went through the early stages of this but escaped quickly. She expressed a sentiment similar to yours: she wants those children to be free so they can, as Ukrainians, make their own choices about their futures. Even if the options are not lofty, simply having the right to choose matters. Has that theme come up for you in conversations with other Ukrainians?

Babkina: I would say so, yes. Much of it comes through in the language people choose to speak. Many refuse to talk in Russian (the language) because they associate the language itself with the suppression of Ukrainian identity. There is nothing wrong with knowing languages—I am fluent in three and learning two more—but exploring Ukrainian heritage and learning Ukrainian are essential.

The Russian language has taken root as a political tool because Russian officials, including in recent interviews with Putin and his representatives, insist that because many Ukrainians speak Russian, that makes them Russian. That is not the case. If the majority language in Canada were French, that would not make Canada a French (nationality) country. Canada is still Canada.

Jacobsen: He has this whole ideological claim about “Little Russia.” From his perspective, Ukraine does not exist; Ukrainians do not exist. They are, in his view, derivative Russians. There is a long history of hostility toward Ukrainians. The democratic surge in Ukraine destabilizes autocratic governments, and that, more than anything, was the threat.

Yes, there has been commentary on provocations from NATO and Western allies—those promises were made. But a political provocation is far from the legal threshold required for the war crime of aggression, which was crossed in 2014 and again in 2022. I am not saying NATO and the allies are blameless. Still, the legal standard for aggression is much higher, and the Russian Federation clearly violated it.

You are a student club. What do you hope to do with the future of this club? One major problem many student clubs face—including ones I have founded or joined before—is the transition of leadership. If a student completes their degree in four or five years, or longer if part-time, they eventually move on. What then? How do you plan a transition of authority? Will you create a role, like a president emerita, for yourself so you can stay involved? How do you envision that working?

Babkina: As president, I have to give attention to all the individual members of our society, and many of them show potential that aligns with the direction I want the society to pursue. I give them opportunities to demonstrate leadership—not just to me but to everyone else in the society—so they can build their standing. It is still a democratic decision about who becomes the next president, rather than me appointing someone and saying, “You will now take over.”

Jacobsen: Elections, not appointments.

Babkina: Exactly. Our society aims to provide people with opportunities, such as scholarships or job prospects. For example, some of our members and our former treasurers have had opportunities to collaborate with the East Coast Ukrainian Association, UCC, and other organizations, helping them build political or commercial experience—whatever fits the person they want to become.

Jacobsen: What is the gender split in the club?

Babkina: We have a majority male participation. I would say over 50% of our society consists of men, men who would otherwise be conscripted into the Ukrainian army and who would like the chance to choose their own future, because Russia decided to invade a sovereign country (since Ukraine doesn’t have mandatory militarization outside of wartimes, like Israel or South Korea does).

Jacobsen: They’re having much trouble. The American phrase is “many draft dodgers,” and that is true. Do you get different tones—different interpretations of the experience—from men compared to women, whether they are refugees, asylum seekers, or immigrants?

Babkina: Could you explain a little better?

Jacobsen: If someone must stay in the country and will be drafted if they leave, that’s one experience. If someone is not mandated to remain—if they can leave, go to Israel or France or anywhere, and then return—that’s another experience. Women can leave and come back, even though they still endure war and may have lost loved ones. Meanwhile, for many men, the draft imposes a straightforward, forceful obligation to serve in the war. Although there are women on the front lines, the situations differ. Among those who left earlier in the war—refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants—do you hear different tones in how men and women describe the war?

Babkina: I wouldn’t say so. Ukraine has a very equity-minded community. Many of the people who came here, whether men or women, share similar motivations. Many women pursue medical degrees. Some men—two recent high school graduates I know—are going to join the Canadian army. Fighting for freedom is part of who we are; caring for others is, too. I would not say there is a distinct tone from men versus women in our society or in the broader Ukrainian community. We are fighting for our justice, and we deserve to be treated as equal human beings.

Jacobsen: What is an event that you really wanted to do, but logistically, financially, or in terms of capacity, you could not?

Babkina: We really wanted to be part of the UCC—Ukrainian Canadian Congress—convention that took place either last weekend or the weekend before. It is a fantastic event. You get to meet many representatives of both Canadian and Ukrainian heritage who are committed to expanding Ukrainian culture and giving us opportunities to express ourselves without being told that our culture is not ours, or that it is being taken away from us, or that we “never existed before.” Canada is historically known for publishing the first Ukrainian textbooks. When Ukraine became independent, the first publications came from cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg.

Jacobsen: Any final words—favourite Ukrainian quotes or aphorisms, something like “all that glitters is not gold”?

Babkina: I am not sure I have much to offer in that tone, but I would like to emphasize that we, as Ukrainians, are very grateful for everything we have been given—the opportunities we have received. Even though the circumstances are unfortunate, our gratitude is immense for the help we have received. For example, NSCC giving Ukrainian students the chance to pursue post-secondary education, even at the most basic level, is something many Ukrainians do not have today. It is an excellent opportunity to feel as normal as possible in day-to-day life, even when you have relatives back home who may be under daily, if not hourly, threat—never knowing if you will see them again. We are very grateful for the chance to be safe, broaden our understanding of Ukrainian culture, and share it with everyone. We want to be accepted in society as a nation that deserves its own voice—a voice that is being threatened every day.

Jacobsen: Antuanetta, thank you very much for your time. 

Babkina: Great, thank you so much. Bye.

Jacobsen: Bye.

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