At the oikos Legislative Meeting on Sunday, 21 April, the representatives of oikos chapters elected Patricija Zizyte as the next oikos International Co-president. A very engaged member of our community over the past few years, Patricija is set to begin her two-year term in her new role at the end of the year. To get to know Patricija better, here is a part of her motivational letter to the oikos Community.
“A bit about myself
I am Patricija, originally from Lithuania, the land of magical forests, and enchanting rivers and lakes. Growing up, I have spent lots of time exploring the nature. That is when I started building my admiration and connection to it. For the past 5 years I have been living, studying, volunteering, and working in Copenhagen, Denmark. That is also where I learnt about sustainability, and then everything simply made sense. I knew that whatever I do in life, I want sustainability to be at the core of it. So, I started exploring, engaging, and seeking experiences.Since high school,
I have actively pursued leadership roles. I love seeing people grow, communities become stronger and projects blossom. With constant learning from my experiences, I have improved a lot throughout the years. I have great facilitation, coordination, communication, and project management skills. I have intentionally pursued diverse experiences, so I can understand different areas of organizations, and try out different roles. Shifting roles, and tasks, and having an overview of everything is now something that I take pride in. True generalist, some would say. It’s a curse and a blessing, but a great quality to have as a leader. I am finishing my studies this year. It’s a period of decision making and big changes. I have been wondering what my future is holding for me. When the call for co-presidency candidates came out, I had no doubt about applying. oikos is calling – I must answer! I see co-presidency as a natural step in my career. I have built a strong foundation of experiences, and I am now well prepared for whatever comes in leading an international organization like oikos International. I thrive when I am given challenges, I thrive in community, I thrive doing meaningful work – thus, oikos International appears to be the ideal environment for my growth and contribution.
A bit about my oikos journey
My oikos journey started in Copenhagen. I joined oikos Copenhagen in 2020 as a project manager, later becoming the Board Member, and the Head of Organizational Development. Sometime between those two I have also discovered oikos International. I have joined oikos CAMP (2021) as a Genie. In fact, I was one of the original Genies – flying around and making everyone’s dreams come true. That was when I learnt about culture, values and vision that oikos International has and deeply resonated with it. Later I joined oikos LEAP as a participant, experiencing oikos work first-hand – it has opened a completely new world of inner development and showed me the world I never knew before. The extremely meaningful work done by oikos LEAP inspired me to volunteer as a facilitator to help open this new world for others too.Throughout the years oikos International has become the space that I associate with growth, support and embodiment of change. I have been incorporating these values in everything I do, and when I come back to oikos tribe, it feels like coming back home. Oikos International is a community and organization that I truly believe in, and I have seen an impact it has on people. I want to take part in sharing the vision of oikos with the world. There is a lot of potential, and a lot of challenges, and I am interested in the whole package.
A bit about people
A very important aspect for me is people. I got to know many people in oikos community, and I wish to collaborate with them closer on creating a long-lasting and meaningful impact. And, of course, my closest collaboration would be with Michael. I got to know Michael quite well in the past 3 years, and I admire him as a person, and as a leader. It would be an invaluable experience working together with him, and I believe we would make a great team. We already do! The relationship and understanding that we have built can go a long way and bear some delicious fruits. I am extremely curious to see the positive changes we can bring to this world!”
Congratulations, Patricija! We’re looking forward to seeing how the next chapter of your oikos journey unfolds in your new role as an oikos International Co-president
