Who says that the Greek crisis has stifled creativity and inspiration? Or that the efforts of talented young people, manifest through art, innovation and enterprise, have stopped spurring on Greek visionaries, such as Ms Gina Mamidaki, President of “G. & A. Mamidakis” Foundation.
The opposite has been proven beyond doubt by the initiative of the “G. & A. Mamidakis” Foundation to create Lovegreece.com in 2013 in Athens, with the aim of promoting and showcasing the image of the country abroad through the presentation of charismatic Greeks. Inspired by the dynamism and the ingenuity of the Greek entrepreneurial spirit, it aims at promoting the country’s leading lights, achievers of great magnetism who embody the concept of an extrovert Greece.
It is this effort to highlight the contemporary and creative side of Greece that Discover Greece whole-heartedly embraces, contributing as it does to the work of the foundation and working in unison towards the aim of showing off the country in the best possible light both within and outside its borders.
Lovegreece.com constitutes a venture of pivotal significance to talented young people producing remarkable and original work, but for whom it is not easy to connect to Greek and international channels for support.
Young scientists, entrepreneurs, professionals and creative teams who shine out for their original ideas, services, knowledge, products and contribution to society, have the opportunity to be nominated, chosen and presented through the www.lovegreece.com webpage and be included in an international information campaign, which will utilize all the social media. The foundation and its partners work strenuously to create short videos/films documentaries, publications and features in the international press to bolster the support for their young charges, and all this is further supplemented by specially arranged press conferences, events and television presentations in Greece and abroad.
So deftly put by Ms Gina Mamidaki, the aim of LoveGreece.com is “to collect and present in the most contemporary and interactive manner everything importable and “exportable” Greece has to offer in all the sectors and branches of the Economy, Art, Culture, Sciences and Social Responsibility, proving the potential of the country and its people.”
So, Greece not only has natural beauty, attractive destinations, culture and historical heritage. It also has active and charismatic human resources and it bestows vision. And taking Ms Gina Mamidaki as a prime example, it instils in those citizens empowered by this vision to take up the mission to tell the world about its vast potential and insatiable appetite for learning!
Ms Mamidaki, in a short interview, shares with us her thoughts and vision regarding this initiative.
The Discover Greece Team: What were the reasons that led you to take this initiative?
Ms Mamidaki: The spark that gave life to LoveGreece.com was the Greek crisis. Inspired by the dynamism and creativity of the Greek entrepreneurial spirit, LoveGreece.com was founded in 2013 as an initiative aimed at the reinforcement and promotion of the country’s image abroad, presenting talented and successful Greeks. With their diligence, well defined value system, clarity of thought, commitment and vision, Greek entrepreneurs and professionals constitute an important and worthy ambassador for the country as a whole to the rest of the world.
The Discover Greece Team: Has the venture been met with a positive response by young, talented Greeks?
Ms Mamidaki: LoveGreece.com is all about talented Greeks who are unabashed extroverts! Its aim is not to be a sterile library of information, but an interactive forum overflowing with energy. LoveGreece.com focuses on outstanding entrepreneurs and successful individuals from the fields of research and innovation, art and culture, education and social services. Its aim is to attract interest and the support in order to boost the demand for Greek products and services.
The Discover Greece Team: What is the role of the committee and the Ambassadors of LoveGreece.com?
Ms Mamidaki: Besides talent and resolve, the personalities showcased byLoveGreece.com should not only have open horizons, be expressive and focused on their targets but also act as models of integrity, originality, team spirit, innovation and other values and characteristics contributing to sustained success. In view of this, LoveGreece.com aims at transparency and objectivity in its selection procedure and has put together an exemplary panel of experts for this express purpose, consisting of prominent entrepreneurs with a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills. The Ambassadors are people coming from various fields such as business initiative, art, creativity, to name but a few, who have achieved distinction both through their professional life and for their integrity and scrupulosity. They are people of great influence; they inspire and constitute a positive example to be followed.
The Discover Greece Team: What would be your message to all young Greeks who create and venture, not always under the best circumstances?
Ms Mamidaki: Our motto in LoveGreece.com is ‘we believe, we can’. Greeks can. They are capable, creative, diligent, inventive, strong in the face of adversity, resilient, they adapt easily, have potential, they innovate and they can lead. I believe the young and all of us have to create a culture of cooperation, focus on our target, not give up, look after our people, help them thrive and develop and learn that failure is not a catastrophe.
I am heartened to see companies created by young people, such as Workable, a Greek Startup established in 2012, which has just received 27 million dollars. The company has a presence in 3,000 businesses and 52 countries which use its services, attracting the attention and the trust of international funds.
“If you dream it, you can make it happen.”
