Marina Buchman: I want to make this world a kinder place

20 september 2023

The interview published in our September column of "About People and Good Deeds" features Marina Buchman, a SIBUR manager and Ambassador of the People Changing the World volunteering program in Amur Oblast discussing the Company's 6-year volunteering movement and the intricacies of the role of the movement's coordinator.

Marina, how did you start your journey as a volunteer?

I just like helping others. This is something that comes straight from my heart. Ever since I was a child, I couldn't walk past anyone who needed help. I used to walk elderly people across the street and help them carry their shopping bags home, or feed stray animals. But my journey as a volunteer hadn’t begun until I came to work for SIBUR  and got myself immersed in the activities of the Formula for Good Deeds social investment program. 

Why did you choose to become a volunteer and why do you keep doing it?

I want to make the world around us a better place, make it kinder, and make sure that every person feels needed. Nowadays, we often face anger and aggression, so I want to inject more positivity and kindness into our existence. There is no need to wait for someone to do something kind, we should just go ahead, take initiative and do it ourselves. And, of course, it is always gratifying to see smiles on the faces of the people that you help. This is an incredible feeling.

You coordinate volunteering activities of the employees at Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC). What are the most challenging and important aspects of these activities?

There are, in fact, quite a lot of people who want to do something useful for their communities. But, first of all, we need to identify such individuals, regularly update them on our scheduled volunteering activities, inform them about the opportunities presented by the Formula for Good Deeds program, and forge a community of like-minded people. I try to be a role model for my colleagues. The most essential thing is to urge people to take action. And it is also important to build a cohesive team.

And what is it that you do to rally round the company's volunteers?

It is essential to approach every individual in a way that suits them best. It is through regular communication that you get to figure out how to "find the right key" to each of them, and how to properly allocate their roles. Some people may be willing to lead from the get-go, while others, by contrast, may prefer to take the backseat. These rules are equally important to follow in our day-to-day work activities and in growing the volunteering movement.

Please tell us about some of the key accomplishments of AGCC's volunteers.

We take an active part in company-wide campaigns such as planting forests under the Green Formula program, "Back to School Soon" and "Get to be a Santa Claus!" campaigns, and our monthly separate waste collection campaigns.
This year, three of the projects spearheaded by employees of the Amur Gas Chemical Complex emerged as winners of the contest of volunteering projects for SIBUR's employees. These included: Olga Stepucheva's "Crafty Hands", a project that includes a series of creativity workshops for preschoolers and elementary school students, Olga Smirnova's "A Feeder in Every Backyard" project, and a project that I am myself in charge of together with Natalia Golovleva, "Discovering the World Together", which caters for the wards of Svobodny's orphanage for children with disabilities.

What is your "Discovering the World Together" project about?

Let me briefly give you some background. After graduating from college, I started working for the city administration where I was responsible for funding social welfare activities, and as part of my job, I once paid a visit to a Children's Home. What I saw there left a strong impression on me. I had met little children who were deprived of love and care. I felt like doing something for these children, but I just didn't know where to start. After joining SIBUR, I discovered there was an opportunity to help these children. Last year, we provided some help for the first time as part of the "Back to School Soon" campaign. At Svobodny's orphanage, we were met by children with disabilities who welcomed us with singing, dancing and their radiant smiles. I felt I had to make friends with these kids and do something kind and helpful for them. This is how the "Discovering the World Together" project came into being with the aim of helping improve the children's emotional well-being while also broadening their horizons. But most importantly, we want to become real friends with these children. Throughout the year, our AGCC volunteers have held a series of activities including "The Chemical Boom" class introducing the children to the basics of chemistry and a variety of exciting lab experiments, "A Visit to a Forest" involving a trip to our eco-trail with real tree-planting and growing of saplings, "ToonTime" featuring an educational overview of film-making, and a master class on making panels using pasta, with several more exciting activities scheduled for the fall season.

I am really happy that the idea of this project was supported by our AGCC colleagues. For this project to get implemented, it is essential that more volunteers get involved, considering the special nature of these children. I had heard about some of our employees' apprehension that they would not be able to interact with such kids. But after the first visit all these fears had gone away, and now our volunteers are constantly asking me when the next visit to see these children is going to take place.

AGCC volunteers implement initiatives in a range of areas. How do the leaders of the volunteering movement choose ideas for their upcoming projects?

Ideas for volunteering projects are decided upon in partnership with the leaders of the volunteering movement who were appointed as such following a discussion of the results of various company-wide campaigns. At the year's end, we got together with our colleagues, had a brainstorming session, and threw our ideas at each other. The leaders of each project were quickly identified, which is best done at the very beginning. These leaders have already embarked on preparing their submissions to the contest of volunteering projects for SIBUR's employees.

What are the most valuable qualities and knowledge that any volunteer might need?

A volunteer ought to have an open and kind heart, enthusiasm, willingness to change the world, eagerness to help at any moment, communication skills and the ability to find a way to approach people, and, of course, dependability.

We’re now reaching out to the readers of this interview who may be thinking about setting out to do good deeds. Where do they begin?

The main thing would be to become inspired and permit yourself to do something good. There are many examples of how people go about doing that. You can find people discussing their projects and making videos on social media, for example. At the moment, volunteering is one of the most promising trends in our society.
I cannot but mention Amur Oblast's regional branch of the National Corporate Volunteering Council that was set up at SIBUR's initiative. We maintain a Telegram group where volunteers from different companies interact, share their practices and experience. So, the most important thing is to become inspired by other people's examples and get into action.

What would you recommend to those employees of SIBUR who are still undecided about potentially entering the contest of volunteering projects for SIBUR's employees?

Taking part in the contest is quite easy. The Formula for Good Deeds is fortunate to have a great team of coordinators who are always be eager to help. The main thing is to have the will and resolve to take on this responsibility.

Marina, you are one of the ambassadors of the People Changing the World program. What does being one mean to you?

For me personally, being an ambassador of our volunteering program is an acknowledgement of the faith in my strength and abilities, while also a great responsibility.

And finally, please allow me to ask you our usual question about your immediate plans.

Without a doubt, our number one priority is to see that all the projects we have set out to complete by the end of this year do get implemented. Perhaps, as we near the end of the year, we will get together again as a team of like-minded people to begin thinking about our future projects. The key here is that both myself and my colleagues are passionate about making this world a better place. I am confident that we will make it happen!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues for taking the initiative and for supporting our good deeds in Amur Oblast. It is only through concerted efforts that we will be able to accomplish everything we set out to do.