Independent Researcher & Ecological Networker
EDUCATION
Bachelors Degree in Planning from University of Auckland, New Zealand. MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (MSLS) from the Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) in Karlskrona, Sweden. ‘Art of Hosting’ training for facilitation skills and techniques in Karlskrona, Sweden.
WORK EXPERIENCE
As part of her Masters degree, Maja received training in Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) and together with her thesis team, worked with an organisation called Smart Urbanism: London, to develop a design guide for an organisation attempting to facilitate cross-sectoral, action-oriented collaboration to influence systemic change towards sustainability. In addition, Maja worked with Tullskolen, Swedish public primary school, using FSSD to assess school’s renovation project plans. Together with Xavier (her partner) and a group of peers, she organised and facilitated an event ‘Karlskrona Dialogues 2011: Crossing boundaries, Building Bridges’. While in Sweden, Maja also attended Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS) Summit, taking part in ‘Understanding Change’ weeklong project. This networking opportunity built onto her previous work experience at ‘Digital Earth Summit’ held in New Zealand 2006 . The student part time jobs Maja had were mostly in the field of Customer Service, Promotion and Sales, thus building up her communication, networking, and management skills. Maja is a fully qualified member of New Zealand Institute of Planning. Maja joined the ELIA team in September 2011 as independent researcher and ecological networker.
LIFE EXPERIENCE
Maja was born and raised in Yugoslavia, where she was brought up learning the importance of nature, inter-generational relationships, the joy of community living, and has experienced the transition from one socio-political system to next. At the age of 9, she organized the ‘Youth Green Army’ with a team of 8 primary school children that took on the project of having ‘Clean Up’ days in local parks. In 2000, together with her family Maja migrated to New Zealand. This exposed her to cultural diversity, different socio-economic philosophy and served as a frame on the debate of indigenous people rights. It was in this context, that Maja started feeling the deep necessity for change and even the greater need to be the change she wishes to see in the world. She thus enrolled in a Planning degree, believing cities to be a powerful leverage point in moving our society towards sustainability. The studio learning environment of the Bachelor’s degree has fostered her creative and problem solving skills in a team setting. The curriculum offered her a theoretical and partially practical insight into the fields of environmental and local government legislation, policy making and frameworks, community consultation, eco system protection, urban design principles and project management. Maja has thus far travelled to 20 countries, using this ( among other things) as an opportunity to observe what makes cities liveable and beautiful.
Together with her partner Xavier, Maja is now focusing her sustainability efforts on developing countries. Complexity, duality and relativity fascinate her as well as the untapped potential of collective intelligence, mixing of cultures and the processes of social evolution.
To contact Maja please use the Contact Form