<a href="http://www.thoughtforaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Screen-Shot-2013-02-11-at-18.14.49.png"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-755" alt="Καλωσόρισμα από την Ελένη Παναρίτη" src="http://www.thoughtforaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Screen-Shot-2013-02-11-at-18.14.49.png" width="228" height="125" /></a>Dear all,

I would like to thank you all heartedly for the pivotal support and engagement you offered to the first interactive forum of Thought for Action (<a href="http://www.thoughtforaction.org/">www.thoughtforaction.org</a>). Your involvement made last Monday’s dialogue possible and most importantly gave the right tone to our mission.

The kick-off Workshop on Monday 4th of February provided us with an auspicious launch for this initiative, as is already evident in the large uptick in social media Twitter (2,905 Followers), Facebook (1,374 Likes) and our website (1,700 new visitors in one week - the week before the event). A series of press coverage followed the event with articles and interviews figuring in Eleytherotypia, Efimerida ton Syntakton, enet.gr, newspost.gr, newmoney.gr etc.

Our vision to change Greece and the way things happen in this country seems to take an upturn with a series of meetings we have had with Government Officials (Ministers of Finance and Economic Development as well as the point person of The World Bank) after the first dialogue during the previous week.

We keep the ball rolling based on our action plan below:

We have started building our constituent groups and also waded a new task regarding  high technology and innovation:

<b>Underlying Motivation:  Create economic dynamism in Greece</b>

<b>Core Objectives</b>
<ul>
	<li><b>Reform the private sector</b> by <b><i>fundamentally revising the rules of the game</i></b> governing the private sector so as <b><i>to foster</i></b> <b><i>openness and competitiveness</i></b>, rather than privilege and protection.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li><b>Reform the core public administration</b> by <b><i>fundamentally revising the rules of the game</i></b> governing the public sector so as <b><i>to focus public agencies and their staff on</i></b> <b><i>performance, transparency and accountability</i></b>.  Key reforms would include policies that require public agencies to have clear performance objectives, as well as policies that ensure credible evidence on the cost and results of their activities.</li>
</ul>
<b>Key Actions of Thought for Action</b>
<ul>
	<li><b><i>Mobilize the private sector:</i></b>  Establish a group of private sector activists to campaign/create pressure for reforms that promote economic dynamism (Dinner with entrepreneurs).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li><b><i>Mobilize the press: </i></b> Create a forum for journalists, using them as a channel to the public to generate support for changing the rules. Among the journalists we have already mobilized are P. Tsimas, P.Gavra, S. Charitatos, A. Zygou, G. Bourdakos, C. Pagonis.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li><b><i>Mobilize the public sector:</i></b> Establish a group of leaders in the public sector who share this vision to support efforts for reforms that promote a better performing, more transparent state. P. Karkatsoulis, being a public sector specialist, will assist with this action.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li><b><i>Mobilize citizens:</i></b> Use social media and citizen voice to expose failures and demand change (SNS)</li>
</ul>
<b>Jump Starting the Reform Process</b>
<ul>
	<li>Turn privatization credible: eg. the privatization of the old airport (Meetings with S. Polalis, CEO of Elliniko)</li>
	<li>Establish a credible accounting system for the State (KPMG).</li>
	<li>Establish a property rights system that makes it easy and low cost to establish and enforce property rights (E.Panaritis)</li>
	<li>Support initiatives that drive the efficient and accountable discharge of core state functions, defining the performance sought and measuring the impact (P.Karkatsoulis)</li>
</ul>
Our team will keep you informed about anything new and we will be in touch to discuss your ideas, suggestions and of course more questions.

Thank you again for your commitment.

&nbsp;

<em><strong>Elena Panaritis</strong></em>

Founder

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