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!
Helping is easy if you have a big heart
We first saw his announcement on social media, and it impressed and touched us.
“Good day, my name is Mykyta, I’m 12 years old. I’m from the hero city of Chernihiv, and I offer my artworks. I create drawings on wooden boards: my paralyzed grandmother draws, and I burn them with fire and paint them with acrylic…” Volunteers from Goodacity decided to meet with Mykyta and his mother to share kindness, learn his story, and tell you that helping is easy. “He is our support,” says Mykyta’s mother, Mrs. Olya. “I have visual impairments, and my mother cannot walk after a stroke. ‘I want to work to help,’ Mykyta told me, and it brought tears to my eyes—seeing what a big heart my little boy has…”
Goodness is rooted in childhood
“Helping is easy when kindness and humanity are instilled in you from early childhood. Mykytka has always been special,” the woman tells about her son. “Calm, thoughtful, and contemplative – he loved to learn, create something, and come up with clever ideas… I can’t remember a time when I started doing something and he didn’t offer help. In the third grade, when he was only nine years old, he said, ‘Mom, I see how difficult it is for you, and I will look for a job…’ It was his initiative, and it came from the heart. He started repairing computers – imagine, he sat there, read, figured things out, practiced on his old computer, repaired it for our neighbors, and later placed ads…
He is very independent, and now he is our support. He loves to cook and can create a masterpiece from ordinary ingredients. He can do everything around the house, whatever needs to be done, he can fix everything. For his birthday, he asks for a screwdriver, a drill, or a jigsaw,” the woman laughs. “He is quite handy… And he has such a kind heart, always looking for ways to help people. If he sees someone has thrown away a soft toy, he will pick it up, clean it, and say, ‘I feel sorry for it, maybe it has a soul too… Let’s fix it up and send it to an orphanage, where the children have nothing at all…'”
We have four cats at home – we rescued and nursed all of them from the streets. Since childhood, I wanted to have an animal shelter, but unfortunately, I couldn’t realize it due to difficult circumstances. At least I feed stray cats whenever I can… Once we were visiting my second cousin’s grandmother in Donetsk Oblast, and we accidentally saw a little neglected kitten in a store. Mykytka couldn’t just pass by – he said, “Mom, he won’t survive here, look, no one pays attention to him. Let’s take him, we need to save him…” And that’s how we brought the kitten from Donbas to Chernihiv – now he lives with us.”
He creates not only beauty but also... hope for the family
“Mykyta has a poetic soul – he writes poems, loves playing the flute. He has been attending music school for the third year,” Mrs. Olya shares. “After the siege of Chernihiv and all the horrors we experienced, he couldn’t get back to music. He didn’t play until his teacher came to our house, and they ‘played together.’ We endured all the worst events of last spring at home, didn’t go anywhere. My mom had a stroke due to the horrors she experienced… We didn’t know what to do, how to ask people for help… We live near Bobrovycia, and it was very loud and terrifying. Luckily, our apartment survived, but many houses were destroyed… Every time I was about to go to the store, Mykyta would say, ‘Mom, I won’t let you go alone!’ So we went everywhere together. Standing in line, as the sound of shelling grew closer, I would say, ‘Let’s run home, I’m scared.’ But he would calm me down, saying, ‘Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you…’ It’s not me who comforts him – it’s him who comforts me… That’s how strong he is!”
Every time Mykyta burns a picture on the board, he creates not only beauty but also a new hope for a better life for himself and his family.
“Mykyta has been practicing pyrography for almost a year now. We searched for a tool for a long time; professional ones are very expensive, and even now, they are hard to find. The ones we bought from online ads often break. Mykyta is very hardworking – sometimes he sits bent over the board for five hours, burning the design. It’s a delicate and meticulous work, not easy at all, but he is always so joyful when someone orders a new piece, he puts so much effort into it! And he doesn’t do it for himself – all his modest earnings as a child, he spends on entertainment or little things for us, while we spend it on groceries. We go to the store, and he says to me, ‘Mom, let me buy…'”
Helping is easy when love resides in the heart!
With his kind blue eyes and a slightly shy smile… Mykyta’s face lights up when he talks about his interests: how much he loves math, computer science, and manual training, how he can’t pass by stray cats on the streets, and most importantly, how he wants to help his mom. At the age of twelve, he already knows that helping is easy – you just need to have the desire and understand that kindness is the most valuable thing in life.
“My mom never passes by someone in need of help,” says Mykyta. “I guess I inherited that trait from her…
The idea of burning drawings on boards came to me over a year ago,” the boy shares. “I made the first board as a gift for my mom, and she liked it. I decided to try more: my grandma helps me with the drawings, and I do the burning. She draws very well, although now, after her illness, it’s a bit more challenging for her… As I was getting more skilled with the pyrography tool, I burned my fingers quite a few times,” he chuckles. “And even now, ‘work-related injuries’ happen… I search for information online, learn and improve…
It’s so nice to hear positive feedback and praise from people! I try to make every board with a good mood so that they bring luck and happiness to those who order them. Now it’s easier to work because we have constant access to electricity, but during winter, when it was frequently cut off, every hour with light was worth its weight in gold—I even set an alarm clock to wake up at night or early in the morning to do the burning.
I would really like to work full-time to make my mom’s life a bit easier, but I understand that I need to study well to achieve good results in the future. My dream is to grow up so that my mom and I can bring our ideas to life together!”
