The 2nd Forum of Amur Oblast’s Corporate Volunteers held in Svobodny drew over 120 leaders of the volunteering movement

15 july 2024

Svobodny’s S. Lazo community center hosted the 2^nd Forum of Amur Oblast’s Corporate Volunteers held under the slogan of staying true to shared values in the times of change. The forum was attended by more than 120 volunteers, government officials, representatives of non-profits, and public figures. The Forum was once again organized by the Amur Office of the National Corporate Volunteering Council (NCVC) with the support of SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program and the Government of Amur Oblast.

The Forum brought together leaders and active members of 44 organizations from Belogorsk, Blagoveshchensk, Svobodny, Tsiolkovsky, Shimanovsk, as well as the Bureysky, Magdagachinsky, and Svobodnensky districts. At the forum’s launch opening remarks were made by Elena Snezhko, Head of SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program and Chair of the NCVC’s Amur Office, as well as Tatyana Polovaikina, First Deputy Chair of Amur Oblast’s Government, Vladimir Konstantinov, Mayor of Svobodny, as well as Irina Zhukova, Philip Morris’s Director for Sustainable Development and Corporate Programs of Affiliated Companies, Chair of the NCVC.

Elena Snezhko, Head of SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program and Chair of the NCVC’s Amur Office:
"Our experience with holding the very first Forum was a testament to the fact that the region’s volunteers feel the need for such a format as it gives them an opportunity to meet face to face, learn about each other’s new practices and tools, get inspired by the others’ creative ideas, and make new friends. I am extremely happy to state that this year saw the geography of participation in the forum expand as we got joined by like-minded activists from the cities of Magdagachi and Shimanovsk. This is an indication that we are indeed moving in the right direction. I am confident that by working together we will be able to deliver impressive results for the region and its residents."

The Forum’s highlight was a panel discussion titled "Family Values in an Era of Change as the Guiding Light for Business and Society" featuring a speech by Tatyana Polovaikina, First Deputy Chair of Amur Oblast’s government who emphasized the primacy of family values for the government while drawing the audience’s attention to the prevalent demographic situation in the region and to the measures that are being taken by government agencies at all levels for the benefit of Russian families. Ms. Polovaikina dedicated a special part of her remarks to issues related to the government’s housing policies, incentive disbursements made for the benefit of large families, and to promoting family values amongst younger people including college students.

Tatyana Polovaikina, First Deputy Chair of Amur Oblast’s government:
"Family and family values are at the forefront of our government’s policies. Our region has put in place a strong package of measures to support families with children. Additional proposals for improving pertinent legislation in this domain are expected to be submitted to the region’s Legislative Assembly in the nearest future. However, the effectiveness of such measures will largely depend on employers and their willingness to focus on family values. I am happy to note that today’s event is being attended by representatives of companies that can already share their experience in this area. I hope that the number of such interested employers will be growing with every year that passes."

Anton Sadikov, an HR expert with the Amur Gas Chemical Complex, and Vyacheslav Sirgienko, Deputy Head of the Territorial Administration of the Trans-Baikal Railway, a branch of Russian Railways, shared the practices of Russian companies that seek to provide support for their employees’ families.

The Forum featured a celebratory ceremony where family-based volunteering teams were awarded with their well-deserved rewards. Letters of Appreciation and Commendations for promoting corporate volunteering and helping preserve family values in the region provided courtesy of Amur Oblast Governor’s Vasily Orlov were presented to Anna Antonova, a supplemental education teacher at Svobodny’s G.M. Fadeev Children's Railway, Natalia Przhialkovskaya, Head of the Intermunicipal Department of Amur Oblast’s Rosreestr Office for the Magdagachinsky and Skovorodinsky Districts, Olga Smirnova, a Service and Economic Support Expert at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex, and Alexander Smolyakov, Head of the Network Operation and Subscriber Connection Team at Amur Oblast’s branch of MTS. The Governor’s special thanks also went to organizations supporting family volunteering including the Belogorsk Operational Locomotive Depot and Amur Oblast’s Branch of the Russian Federation Pension and Social Insurance Fund.

Raissa Momot, a senior manager at SIBUR, Anna Vorobyova, Head of the Introduction Laboratory of the Amur Branch of the Botanical Garden Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Alexandra Yekzhanova, Head of the Youth Affairs Department of Blagoveshchensk’s City Administration, took part in a discussion dedicated to environmental conservation. In addition, business coach Yuri Kalashnikov led a creative thinking business game for the Forum’s participants.

The Forum also featured Irena Ponaroshku, a TV host, an eco-blogger, and a mother of two sons, who advocates for environmental conservation and conscious consumption, and who is also involved in environmental outreach activities with the focus on separate waste collection, as the event’s special guest. During her motivational public talk that became the Forum’s inspiring conclusion, Irena shared her personal experience of maintaining a midnful and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Irena Ponaroshku, a TV presenter, journalist, blogger:
"We can view ecology from different perspectives. This can be both about volunteering and preserving the nature of our beautiful country, and about an environmentally friendly attitude towards ourselves, our loved ones, and more generally all the people around us. It is about building relationships that do not poison our lives, just as we try to protect the planet from the waste that pollutes it. It is about living one’s life on Earth responsibly. Our country does quite a lot for protecting the environment. And this event is just a part of this formidable effort. This is where volunteers and everything they do come in very handy. Because this is all very inspiring, and there isn’t much one can do without enthusiasm. We need people who are passionate about this, those who can inspire others. This truly draws people together, and it's one of the most effective ways to spread information."

Natalia Shkuropatova, a Lead Public Relations and Mass Media Service Specialist at Gazprom Pererabotka Blagoveshchensk:
"The forum is top notch! It was very well conceived, organized and conducted. This was manifested even in the tiniest details, such as the color pattern on the water bottles. You could immediately see that the organizers did their job lovingly making sure that everything was well aligned. The choice of family values and ecology as the main theme of the event was very pertinent. I internalized the words of advice from the forum’s celebrity guest Irena Ponaroshku on how to incentivize children to sort waste. This was especially relevant for me as a mother of three."

Emil Samigullin, an employee of a branch of the Center for Operation of Ground Space Infrastructure Facilities at Vostochny Space Center:
"It was great to see the forum unite completely different people who have a shared goal of making our world a better place! The topics that were discussed at the forum are extremely important for our society. Our current crises with family values and the environment require that we come up with out-of-the-box solutions to deal with them. This forum came as a great source of inspiration, a place for acquiring experience in organizing projects, and for making new friends. We hope that our extended friendly family of corporate volunteers will keep on growing while striving for new accomplishments."

Background:

The Amur Office of the National Corporate Volunteering Council was established in 2021 with the participation of SIBUR and the Government of Amur Oblast in order to combine and align the efforts of companies, volunteering centers and non-profit organizations for the purpose of advancing the best volunteering practices in the region.

Geographically, the office is made up of representatives of companies and volunteering centers from Blagoveshchensk, Belogorsk, Svobodny, Tsiolkovsky, and other districts of Amur Oblast, including Amur Gas Chemical Complex, NIPIGAZ, Otkritiye Bank, Gazprombank, Gazpromtrans, Gazprom Pererabotka Blagoveshchensk, MTS, Belogorsk Locomotive Depot (a part of Russian Railways), Rostelecom, Sberbank, Amur Oblast’s Regional Branch of the Social Fund of Russia, Amur Oblast’s Rosreyestr Office, Philip Morris Sales & Marketing, a branch of the Center for Operation of Ground Space Infrastructure Facilities at Vostochny Space Center, as well as experts from local volunteering and resource centers and charitable foundations.

Based on the results of its activities in 2023, the Amur Office of the National Corporate Volunteering Council was recognized as the "Capital of Corporate Volunteering" at the 12th Moscow International Forum "Corporate Volunteering: Business and Society".

Further information about the Council's activities is available on its website.

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