CYM in Manchester was started on the initiative of Wolodymyr Andrusyszyn. On the 7th November 1948, after mass, he called the inaugural meeting at the Ukrainian Club. The Ukrainian Club had long served emigres from Western Ukraine after WWI and then soldiers and displaced persons after WWII. Many young ukrainians had arrived from Europe and Manchester was already a thriving centre.
75 people came to the inaugural meeting of CYM, including memebrs of the Head Office, Anna Kalynnyk and Ihnatij Fedczyniak. Once the statutes of the organisation had been presented most of those present chose to become members and even elected a branch committee of 6 members and Wolodymyr Andrusyszyn as chairman. Almost immediately the Manchester branch was given the responsibility of organising the first National CYM Rally in GB in October 1949 in Heaton Park, Manchester. A concert displaying ukrainian culture, dancing and singing took place in the evening at the Free Trade Hall in the centre of Manchester.
The Manchester branch of CYM joined with other ukrainian organisations in Manchester to organise events and concerts for the ukrainian community. Youth leaders provided activities to enable members to keep their culture and traditions alive and pass it on to the next generation.
From 1948 Manchester already had a male voice choir "Homin" and a folk dance ensemble "Orlyk" under the patronage of AUGB (Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain) so CYM did not immediately form groups like these themselves. When the next generation was growing up CYM organised a choir "Rusalka Dnistrova" with Homin's conductor professor Y. Hordij and dance groups "Chornomortsi" and " Podilya" under the Orlyk choreographer P. Dnistrovyk. An educational council was also formed at the branch with I. Owczaryk at the helm. Under his guidance, "Rusalka Dnistrova" with S. Hunka as conductor developped into an excellent and popular choir.
Rusalka Dnistrova
