Hrigory Vashchenko and Our Time, or Is the Ukrainian Historical and Educational Heritage Relevant in the Circumstances of Martial Law?

An attempt has been made to prove that in the context of the martial law situation, which has been dragging on in Ukraine for the third year as a result of Russia’s aggressive actions, the thoughts the outstanding educator Hrigory Vashchenko (1878 1967), have become in demand like never before during the period of the sovereign existence of our state. He created nationally oriented concept of educating Ukrainian patriots in the middle of the XXth cen., but they are of topical interest. The educational instructions he formulated, addressed to Ukrainian youth and their educators, holistically cover the process of formation of national consciousness and patriotism, from birth to adulthood.Based on the textual analysis of G. Vashchenko’s works and their contextual understanding, the main tasks of national patriotic education are highlighted, effectively embodied in the education of generations of Ukrainian emigrant youth, starting from the mid twentieth century up to this day. According to the purpose of the article, for updating, the following conceptual G. Vashchenko’s provisions are picked out: preservation and promotion of the native language and national culture, which determine Ukrainian spirituality and are spiritual factors in the build state; transmission of historical knowledge about the heroic path of the struggle of Ukrainians for their independence, which, on a psycho emotional, conscious level, firstly, influences the national self identification of young people, their historical memory, and secondly, charges young Ukrainians with examples of the heroic deeds of their ancestors, motivates the expediency of not only forming strong nationally oriented beliefs, but also exercising physical and volitional training to defend the independence of their native land.