I am the author of the Goodacity blog, a journalist, and a translator. For 16 years, I have worked in professional journalism, contributing to regional and national publications, both in print and online media. I have written reports, conducted interviews, reviews, articles on cultural, social, and charitable topics, as well as materials in the style of "solution journalism" and communication materials.
My focus is on creating interesting and exclusive content. Journalism, to me, is primarily about human stories, to which I always find the key, empathize with the people I write about, and love all my heroes. Journalism, to me, means telling people about what truly matters to them, informing and inspiring them. It is not just a job, but a way of life, just like for all those who dream, create, and are inspired by it.
So, if you are looking for stories that inspire and motivate, that instill faith and help find meaning while believing in goodness, read my stories on the Goodacity website.
I am a manager of cultural affairs and a project manager with over 14 years of experience at United Thinkers. I have participated in the organization of numerous successful social and charitable projects and have implemented informational campaigns and communication cases.
As a marketing manager, I have been involved in organizing marketing and sociological research, working with media and partners, developing advertising and marketing strategies, as well as planning and implementing advertising campaigns.
I believe in the power of goodness and I am happy that as part of the Goodacity project, I can contribute to its expansion. I believe in the power of words and in the fact that communication can help make the world a better place. I know how, where and when to speak in order to be heard. And when you are heard, you can change the world!
Together Against Ruin!
“We patch up broken homes and broken hearts,” says Sergiy. He is one of those who stand “together against ruin,” those who mend homes and lives scorched by war. He’s a volunteer with the “BoMozhemo” (Because We Can) volunteer association. For over a year now, activists from the organization have been restoring Chernihiv homes destroyed by the conflict.
“Our main task is to unite people for mutual support and to give hope and strength to move forward to those who have had the ground knocked out from under them by the war,” the man says. “And rebuilding homes, well, that’s just a bonus,” he laughs…
The war has shown how strong we are when we’re united, when we’re together, when we help others, because we can’t imagine it being any other way, because our conscience commands it, and, ultimately, because – we can…”
In the gym, people "pump" their bodies, but at our community workdays, we also strengthen the spirit!
Our conversation was rescheduled several times – the “BoMozhemo” (Because We Can) folks have been incredibly busy these days. “Today we’re on a rebuilding site, and the saws will be loudly buzzing, so sorry, not today,” Sergiy warns. “Tomorrow I’m on a business trip, and over the weekend, I’m climbing on roofs to work…” When we finally get a chance to talk, I can’t help but ask how he doesn’t get tired or burnt out after nearly a year and a half of continuous volunteer work on debris removal and home rebuilding…
“It’s like going to the gym,” Sergiy laughs, “a kind of daily activity for health, for meeting and talking with like-minded friends. But in the gym, people only ‘pump’ their bodies, while at our community workdays, we also strengthen the spirit because it’s primarily about humanity and empathy… People feel the ruins of a house as the ruins of their life – and we help them put both their homes and themselves back together…
How did I end up at my first community workday? It was towards the end of April last spring,” the man recalls. “The day before, I met with my good friend Valentin Bobyr, and he told me about activists helping people clear the debris of their destroyed homes in the hardest-hit areas of Novoselivka and the Bobrovytsia region, Ukraine. I wanted to join them and help. So, a group of us from work got together and all went to help clear the rubble of a destroyed house. There weren’t many people then, just six or seven, but it was a very good, soulful company. Andriy Halyuga was our ‘energizer’ and inspiration – and the work was boiling!
And from there, things really got moving – so many people needed our help, and we couldn’t ignore their requests…”
Activists Are Building Not Just Houses, But Our Country!
“Our activists cleared the rubble under the scorching summer sun, through autumn rains, and even in snow – that was how we spent our first six months,” Sergiy shares. “Physically, it’s not very difficult, but it’s deeply emotional work: behind every completely destroyed home lies a human tragedy… This mix of bricks and stones that you sift through – it’s not just fragments of someone’s home – it’s someone’s life, their memories, dreams, things dear to their heart… That’s the hardest part. It’s a sad and frightening sight… And people – with their hands down, with ‘dimmed’ eyes, not knowing what to do or how to live on… However, when the rubble is cleared, roofs are patched, windows are installed – when a person is busy with work and sees its fruits, they immediately come to life, instantly mood and energy appear, a second wind to life opens up. Repairing a house, and thereby ‘repairing,’ healing human souls… It energizes – both us and those we help. Whatever we build, we build more than just someone’s house – we are building our country!
Gradually, our community workdays began to transition into reconstruction work – if a house needed minor repairs, say, window installation or wall patching, or roof mending… We tackled this new work for us, each time increasing the level of complexity. As they say, appetite comes with eating – our “BoMozhemo” (Because We Can) members started with debris clearance, then moved on to small repair works, and now we’re even building from scratch! If you have hands and brains, you can do everything,” Sergiy says. “And, of course, the heart! It’s precisely that – caring – which is the main ‘engine’ of our work!
I’ve had construction experience from a young age – my father and I built our house by ourselves, so I know the basics of construction work. Moreover, my specialty came in handy – I work with electrical equipment, often go on installations, have experience in high-altitude works – so on our community workdays, I often admire the landscapes of Chernihiv from the roofs of buildings…
People we help with debris removal or rebuilding often join our ‘volunteer brotherhood’ and help others with us – because they want to feel that spirit of mutual support, mutual aid, a friendly shoulder again, because they can’t do without it… It happens that someone’s own home is still only in the project phase, but they are already with us helping others build… We have many people who initially had broken hearts and homes, and then, when we helped them a bit with their dwelling, lifted their spirits – they started doing it for others because they felt they couldn’t do without it. A volunteer is someone who has felt this goodness themselves and wants to pass it on, to share this energy…
This is how we overcome our ‘rebuilding marathon’… I’m delighted when I see volunteers-activists from Koriukivka, Ukraine – they self-organized, travel to community workdays, organize their own – and that’s wonderful! And how my heart rejoices when I see guys from Kramatorsk, Ukraine, now living in Chernihiv and joining our projects, helping us!
It’s important for us to revive this tradition of Ukrainian community workdays, mutual assistance – it has always been in us, Ukrainians, it’s ‘sewn’ into our DNA; to show people that by uniting, we can overcome ruins. We already have our club of like-minded people, united by one goal and cause. And when you haven’t been with friends on rebuildings for a day or two, you start to feel something’s missing… You are drawn there, to them. Even if there’s fatigue – you don’t feel it, because it’s something more than just labor. It’s the feeling that, by helping people, you live each day meaningfully.
Our work is a ‘long-distance race,’ because there are still very many damaged homes all over Ukraine. So, we want our example not to ‘get stuck’ only with us, with our organization – we want it to inspire people in other cities and regions. So that in the Kyiv region, Kharkiv region, Sumy region, Kherson region, all over Ukraine – everywhere there are volunteers, activists, who help others because they want to give them hope, because they want to unite society, and, ultimately, because they can! We need more “BoMozhemo” (Because We Can) across the country – because we alone are not enough for everyone…”.
