Nordregio is an international research institute established by the Nordic Council of Ministers

Communications Advisor

Marija Zelenkauskė

Home Staff Marija Zelenkauskė

Interested in digital communication tools and techniques, Marija produces publications, storymaps, subsites, and other communications material for various projects. She is responsible for Nordregio’s publications process, runs webinars, and is a communications person for several projects.

Spatial Story

My path towards journalism and communication has started at school – Vilkija gymnasium – in a very small and beautiful town in the middle of my home country Lithuania. I was a very active and curious pupil interested in many subjects and activities happening at school as well as in my country and the world. As a member of the students’ board and a part of organisational teams of various events, I used to write short articles for internal use of the school as well as local newspapers. I then clearly understood the importance and power of the information spread and the way it was told. And this lit a spark in my heart for further interest in journalism and communication.

Journalism studies at Klaipeda and Vilnius universities in Lithuania and Erasmus exchange programme in Volda University College in Norway led me to various internships and jobs. I started my carrier as a journalist in a small local newspaper and radio, continuing in regional media and finally in Lithuanian National Radio and Television. Step by step, I learned new things and skills in journalism and started to gradually climb career ladders, which I was very happy about.

But suddenly, in the last year of MA, I was invited to apply for an international traineeship. And then, I remembered my old dream to live in a very beautiful city Stockholm even for a short period of my life. Then I understood that this was my chance. So, I completed my MA, left my job as a reporter at the National Television of Lithuania, and moved to Stockholm for a 6-months traineeship at the Embassy of Lithuania to Sweden. This was the very beginning of my Swedish life.

After this traineeship, I decided to stay in Stockholm and continue challenging myself with the new stage of my carrier – restarting it in communication instead of continuing in journalism. With quite a minimum experience in communication that I got while volunteering in various non-profit organisations, I felt like I needed to learn a lot. Three years have passed so quickly by learning Swedish, working as a communicator at small companies and events, when I suddenly found an open job position at Nordregio.

And here I am! A part of a great institution and a wonderful team! Here I gained an opportunity to develop my communications skills and learn about new tools, platforms, and international communication. Now I am working with communications of various projects, helping researchers to improve and develop their communications ideas, running webinars, creating storymaps, layouts, content for websites as well as working on newsletters and social media.

I am sure this experience will be very valuable when getting back to Lithuania and continuing my carrier either in communication or journalism.

 

Related Research Projects
Ongoing
ILLUQ – The impacts of permafrost thaw in the Arctic
Finished
Integration through innovation: Digital inclusion of immigrant women in the Nordic countries  Evaluation of Indicators for the Social and Civic Integration of Migrants Robust Regional Preparedness Education and young adults in Nordic rural areas (EDYNORA) ESPON TERRES Transformative capacity in energy, food, and water (TANGO-W) Integrating climate into macroeconomic modelling (ICMM) Share the Care: Strategies to Increase Diversity in Nursing Education SeMPER-Arctic – Sense Making, Place attachment and Extended networks as sources of Resilience in the Arctic BeUBio – targeting youth in the Baltic Sea Region for the SDG:s and Bioeconomy Carbon Neutral Islands Regional collaboration on service provision and social innovation Rural attractiveness in Norden
Related Publications
Regional impact of higher education institutions in Nordic small towns and rural areas Recipe book for regional development: How to improve your community? Storymap: Higher education beyond major urban areas in the Nordics Higher education beyond major urban areas in the Nordics Green energy meets blue food – Moving towards sustainable coexistence? Empowering Transformative Urban Futures: Implementing Urban Transformative Capacity in Public Administration First aid kit to share the care: Recommendations to Increase Diversity in Nursing Education Share the Care: Strategies to Increase Diversity in Nursing Education Peripheral higher education in the Nordics: Why? How? For whom?  Robust regional civil preparedness in the Nordic Region Bytes and Rights: Civil society’s role in digital inclusion No longer solid: how thawing permafrost affects people’s lives in the Arctic Sami Holmström: ‘Solar Foods’ for health and sustainable environment Simone Grind: Promoting a self-sustaining lifestyle through community support agriculture The digital divide: Knowledge and skills The digital revolution in the bioeconomy Digital transformation in the rural manufacturing sector Fljótsdalshérað: Local organisation wants to attract young people Digitalisation: A blessing or a curse for sustainable tourism? Growing opportunities in Klaksvík Jomala in Åland: jobs, amenities and time Bornholm: An island with growing potential Vágur: Improving attractiveness through a change of image Life in Oskarshamn: good environment, services and cultural life Avannaata municipality – a fishing-based society with tourism The digital divide: infrastructure Jussi Nissi: Cows are not the problem, but the system! Anastasia Selezneva: Think globally, act locally – a grassroots approach to generate social change Mari-Ann Meigo Fonseca: ‘Gelatex’ leather like material – a better alternative for the garment industry Fredrik, Leo and Angelo: Cutting up to 4% of global emissions by feeding cows with seaweed Nadine Sydow: ‘slugs-are-gone’ invention – an ecological ‘repellent’ for slugs and snails Marina, Ole Kristian & Mathias: Championing circular economy through material reuse at Loopfront Vaiva Žvirblytė: A young entrepreneur’s bet with solid cosmetics Meet Lebesby – challenging but attractive place to live Piteå in Sweden: Competitive and proud Närpes attracts migrants and green growth Liisa Aavik – Zero Waste influencer, blogger and coach Ingrid Vik Lysne: ‘Sewstainability’ – the rise of reuse and redesign More attractive Hjørring in Denmark Icelandic municipality Árborg: more jobs to attract people ‘Care to Smile’ – a sustainable high-school student company Amit & Monika: Digital tools and their potential in improving food systems Vinh Hoang: Plant based alternatives to plastic Māra Lieplapa: Generating value in rural areas from wild herbs Inari in Finland – attractiveness and Arctic advantage Liisa Aavik: Zero Waste influencer, blogger and coach Juan Medina: From the grounds up – reaping the benefits of the coffee bean Alvdal in Norway: Building on an entrepreneurial spirit
Related Events
What’s next for the global development agenda? – The Nordic local view Higher education in Nordic rural areas and small towns: success factors and effective approaches Ready for take-off? Unlocking the future of electric aviation in the Nordic Region Who cares about men in care? Urban Transformation Talks Launch: State of the Nordic Region 2024 New perspectives on higher education in Nordic rural areas How can rural areas benefit from the green transition? Local energy, land-use, and value creation
Related News
How to support the digital inclusion of immigrant women How to boost robust regional civil preparedness? TANGO-W towards Vision 2050 Nordregio website gets a facelift Rediscovering the assets of rural areas Panel discussion “Youth journey towards a sustainable economy” During 2017-2020, what did we learn about sustainable rural development?
Related Pages
Green and Inclusive Rural Development in the Nordics (2021-2024) Green, Innovative and Resilient Nordic Regions (2021-2024) Green and Inclusive Urban Development in the Nordics (2021-2024) Rural Attractiveness Project Cases Public service delivery in the Nordic Region Young people leading the way to a sustainable economy Sense making, place attachment, and extended networks as sources of resilience in the Arctic Local ownership in transitions towards sustainable energy systems BioBaltic – Nordic-Baltic cooperation within bio-circular-economy Transformative capacity in energy, food and water
Contact

marija.zelenkauske@nordregio.org
+46 738777302

LinkedIn

Academic qualifications

MA in Journalism at Vilnius University, Lithuania (Cum Laude)

BA in Communication and Information at Klaipeda University, Lithuania

Languages

Lithuanian (native)

English

Swedish

Prior positions

2017-2019: Communications coordinator, ‘Storyspot’ and ‘Diretto Employment Services’ (Stockholm, Sweden)

2017: Trainee, Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the Kingdom of Sweden (Stockholm, Sweden)

2015-2017: Reporter and news editor, National Television of Lithuania (LRT) (Vilnius, Lithuania)

2014-2015: Reporter and news editor, radio ‘Laisvoji banga’ (Vilnius, Lithuania)

2014-2015: Journalist, business journal ‘BZN start’ (Vilnius, Lithuania)

2012-2013: Reporter, television ‘Balticum’ (Klaipeda, Lithuania)