Yulia Klochkova: "Volunteering is a norm"

28 may 2024

Our May issue of the About People and Good Deeds column features an interview with Yulia Klochkova, a multiple winner of SIBUR's contests of employees’ volunteering projects and an ambassador of SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program in Voronezh, discussing how ideas get translated into reality, why volunteering is good for everyone, and what needs to be done to be able to gather a team of like-minded people around you.

Each year, increasingly more SIBUR employees are joining the ranks of the corps of corporate volunteers. You became a part of the volunteering movement back in 2017. What prompted you to make that step?

The most important reason that I will start with is that, by nature, I am an active and extraverted person. I had always felt the need to change things around me for the better. Always on the lookout for any issues, things that can be taken care of through our own initiatives. Back in 2017, the company’s volunteering movement was just starting to get off the ground within the framework of the Formula for Good Deeds program. That’s when I first received a newsletter inviting me to take part in a grant contest of volunteering projects. By then, I had already come up with an idea for a project. And, I guess, what prompted me to act was the realization that I can see it through to fruition by taking advantage of the company’s financial assistance. Another factor that played its role was the fact that quite a number of coworkers who knew about my knack for community service had been walking up to me and insisting on my giving it a try.

Had you had any volunteering experience prior to joining the company?
Yes, I had. As of right now, I have been a volunteer for over 20 years. And I am not even taking into account the volunteering that I did during my school years. It was after I enrolled in college that my volunteering became a conscious choice, but back in those days it was simply referred to as a "community service". It used to be customary to take part in volunteering clean-up campaigns. After I graduated from college, I started getting involved in various campaigns associated with helping veterans. That’s when I first learned about all these various charitable organizations which, obviously, opened up new avenues for taking my volunteering to a whole new level.

Why did you choose to launch your volunteering career within the company with the "Give me your paw, friend" project which sought to help stray animals?
I regard the "Give me your paw, friend" project as a more conscious move, and a distinctly special project that became my first and most favorite one. At one point, the following situation started to unfold. There were packs of stray dogs roaming about our neighborhood and people started to get apprehensive. At some point later, even more packs got into that area and a dog with puppies started to frequent our neighborhood. Children played with the puppies who weren’t aggressive at all but, unfortunately, some of neighbors did not share our love for animals and called animal control instead. Men with guns soon showed up and so it started. All day long all we were hearing was squealing and barking. We couldn’t make out what was going on. And then I remember looking out the window and seeing all these people shooting at puppies... It hit me so hard! So, the next day I went to work and shared this episode with my colleagues. They advised me to start taking action. This subsequently served as the foundation for developing my very first project within the framework of a grant contest. The aim of the project was not only to help stray dogs, but to also instill a culture of caring for animals in general. Together with other volunteers, we taught "Lessons of Kindness" at schools. We visited schools after the hours, talked to the students about animals, built cat and dog houses with them to later hand them all over to various shelters across Voronezh. Together with our male volunteers we built an outdoor enclosure at the Right to Life shelter so that the shelter's animals would have an opportunity to go for a walk without a leash on.

Over the past several years, you have been implementing volunteering projects in the field of "social protection". As part of this effort, you have been organizing sporting events while also developing and promoting active lifestyle among socially disadvantaged groups. Is this the area that you find the closest to your heart?
Yes, right now this area of activity is very close to my interests, as it is closely linked to my professional duties. As part of my job at Voronezhsintezkauchuk, I am responsible for organizing sports events and recreation activities for our employees. I wanted to go beyond the company’s boundaries and start organizing similar events elsewhere. This includes various types of events for children such as teaching PE classes, holding Spartakiads, tournaments, and giving master classes. Children have lots of unbounded energy and at times they simply do not know what to do with it. Sports activities provide children with the opportunity to channel their energy into the right direction while also contributing to raising healthy people from their younger days. On top of that, we sometimes pay them surprise visit and we note that some of the kids are in very good physical shape. Perhaps our visits will inspire them to engage in regular exercising so that in future they would have a chance to enroll in a sports school.

Are there any other areas of volunteering that you would like to try your hand at?
Of course! I am aware that our company has been running a company-wide campaign called "From Heart to Heart" with the intent of helping the charges of specialized children's institutions in the regions where the company has a presence. As part of this campaign, the company’s caring employees donate toys, baby food, care supplies, medicines, while also taking part in volunteering trips to local hospitals to spend some time with the young patients there. For me, this is perhaps the most challenging thing from a psychological standpoint, but I would nevertheless like to start implementing this project at SIBUR's Voronezh enterprise as part of the Formula for Good Deeds program. It would also be interesting to try my hand at organizing draughts and chess tournaments for the elderly people who are cared for at nursing homes.

With the support of SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment, you have been implementing the Formula for a Healthy Lifestyle volunteering project in 2024. Judging by the photos taken at your events organized as part of the project, you always manage to draw a large crowd of both corporate volunteers and other caring participants. How have you been able to make that happen?
Any project consists of two parts for me. The first part is purely volunteering-based. The second part is about charity. All people are different: while some are ready to share their time, others prefer to offer their financial resources. So all my projects consist of both volunteering trips and charitable functions. This is what helps increase the number of volunteers. Plus, your reputation also plays a big part in this: people trust me and my projects, and that’s what drives them to want to be a part of the team. Leading by example is also an important factor. People see me do what I do as part of my volunteering career and they start offering their help. Speaking about a large number of participants, there are a lot of cultural events that are held in Voronezh including master classes in drawing, origami, and so on. At the same time, we feel that there is a shortage of athletic events. So for the participating children, involvement in our projects means something new and exciting. Together with the volunteers, we instill in the children a love of sports through engaging them in play and we try to be on the same wavelength with them. Perhaps this is what does the trick.

What skills have you personally managed to acquire over the years of being involved in volunteering?
Instead of using the word acquire, I would use another verb - develop. Each person at birth is endowed with his or her unique talent that waits to be unlocked. Volunteering helped me highlight mine. It turned out that I am a good organizer. Over the years, my organizational skills have only gotten stronger helping me to organize projects, events and other activities more effectively. Without a doubt, volunteering is about revealing, making use of and cultivating one's talents.

In addition to being a person who leads grant-funded volunteering projects, you also perform the role of a regional coordinator of such company-wide campaigns as "Back To School Soon ", "Warm’em Up" and "Get to be a Santa Claus!". Is there one particular campaign among them that you find to be the closest to you personally?
I love every campaign, but my most favorite, the one that is very close to me, is "Get to be a Santa Claus!". Growing up, we all loved and looked forward to this holiday. For children, there is an inextricable link connecting the New Year’s holiday and magic. It manifests itself in writing letters to Santa Claus, making wishes, and waiting for a miracle to happen. After you become an adult, you want to become someone who will be working these miracles on their own bringing this magic to children so that they would continue to believe in this holiday’s unique wonders.

If a non-volunteer asked you to give them a reason to start volunteering, what would you say to them?
When someone gets involved in volunteering, they start to see the most fundamental human values in a new light. I would say that volunteering is a norm. It should be the norm for our society. And still I am convinced that leading by personal example works better than a thousand words.

You are an ambassador of the Formula for Good Deeds in Voronezh. Could you please share with us what sorts of responsibilities do you have as the program’s ambassador?
I recall that when the Formula for Good Deeds first approached me with this idea, I initially had my doubts. Being an ambassador for the program is a very demanding endeavor, because you have to be the face of the program not only within your company, but also elsewhere beyond it. You are expected to interact with non-profit and charitable organizations, organize joint events with them on behalf of the program. As an ambassador you’re responsible for being a good example for your colleagues, increase the number of corporate volunteers and help them with implementing volunteering projects and initiatives. I also see my job in rearing up new leaders and increasing the number of volunteering projects implemented at Voronezhsintezkauchuk with the support of the Formula for Good Deeds.

I know that on your birthday you urge others not to bring you flowers or gifts, but instead make a charitable donation to the Voronezh Regional Charitable Organization called "Shared Children". How did this idea come to you, and what was the initial reaction of your friends to it?
One’s birthday is a special occasion for everyone. When you are a child, you want to get presents on that occasion. But as time goes by, it gets increasingly difficult to answer the question of what it is that you would like to get for a gift? You are becoming a person who has everything. I celebrate my birthday every year. At first, I asked people to give me money as a gift, and then I would transfer the funds to a charitable organization. But then I thought that there was no point in doing this in secret and I started to voice my requests. I started telling my guests that they can donate money or buy something from a list of needed items and bring that to a charity. Whenever I talk to people about this, I add this line: please help me make my birthday even more special. I am happy to say that I my request was well received and supported. It is a lot of fun to hear the words of congratulations from your friends along with a report about a transfer of funds for the benefit of wards of a charitable organization. When that happens, my heart warms up.

As we get to the end of our interview, let me ask you our column’s traditional closing question: do you have plans for any new volunteering projects or initiatives?
There is one initiative. Little by little, I am beginning to feel the water. I plan to continue focusing on projects in the field of physical culture, but at the same time I plan to expand the project’s geography. I want the project to be supported by other enterprises and regions. So, if next year I see projects that, albeit named differently, have the same substance, it will make me really happy.

More information about SIBUR's volunteers and their upcoming activities is available on social media, such as VK and Telegram.

In case you missed our previous issues:
Andrey Khiletsky: "Volunteering is a movement that unites people"
Minzilya Syutkina: "If there is a will, opportunities will follow"
Rizana Bakhtieva: "Do good and the world will become a better place!"
Elena Menshenina: "With a powerful team and management’s support, one can move mountains!"
Grigory Chirey: "Volunteering is my way of life!".

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