volya.weebly.com/volya-group-non-profit.html Huge thanks to Cindy Ochoa for editing this promotional piece for us! We are VOLYA GROUP NONPROFIT and VOLYA GROUP and "Center for Research, Collection, and Restoration of Material and Nonmaterial Belarusian Culture”, a Seattle-based educational charitable organization. Our mission is to introduce the people of the Pacific Northwest and English-speaking audience to Belarusian culture, folklore and songs. Our name VOLYA means freedom in Belarusian. Belarus is the country, located in the geographical center of Europe and is known for its architectural and cultural richness, and for its unique folk songs. Belarusian folk songs are known to be the oldest, unaltered songs on territory of Europe that are still performed today by Belarusian villagers. Some of them are a thousand years old, some of them are younger, just a few centuries old. However, due to a number of reasons, centuries-old songs are gradually disappearing, and VOLYA GROUP helps preserving Belarusian folk songs by conducting ethnographic expeditions to Belarus in order to collect and record Belarusian folk songs in their authentic form. Then we study, translate, perform and record Belarusian archaic folk song. The group also collects and restores authentic Belarusian costumes, and maintains an audio collection of authentic Belarusian Folk Songs as well as a library of published material related to Belarusian folk art, history and culture. The collected material is translated into English to make it available to a broader audience. The group has five members, most of them with deep connections to Belarus and its culture. All members of the group are constantly participating, performing and supporting groups, bands and musical projects that are taking place in the Pacific Northwest region (WA, OR and Vancouver B.C.). The biggest project that VOLYA GROUP has helped to accomplish is “The Songs of Old Europe – Ancient Belarusian Folk Songs” educational documentary.