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Victoria Mindova 

The idea that the culture and heritage of a region could play a crucial role in enhancing economic growth is not new. However, in reality the opportunities of this concept are used in full in not many regions. Authenticity, tradition and even folk customs and means of livelihood of the old villages could create a brand name and give new life and economic incentives to rural areas that are behind the hectic pace of globalization or completely declined after the peak of economic woes.
 
An example of reviving a particular region through its cultural and economic life on the base of its specifics is the proposal to create a Museum of the Mafia in Sicily in Italy. Or the already known use of ancient theatres for modern performances that enable modern people to sit in the places of their ancient ancestors and enjoy the modern art. These are some of the proposals made during the open forum on Cultural Economy and Growth. It is organized by the Independent Council for Arts under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The idea for a new type of development is based on the latest trends to support local economies, imports and exports of goods and services that combine the conservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of national and regional identity of a given region.

True to the motto "Think globally, act locally" the advisor in the management of cultural heritage to the Western Greek University Ioannis Poulos told about his experiences in implementing a project based on the needs and traditions of a region that completely has changed the economy of a city - Koroni. The project is to create economic development model based on the historical authenticity and archaeological heritage of the region. The economic model of Koroni was a typical example of Greek coastal town, relying entirely on tourism and consumption without paying particular attention to the heritage and traditions peculiar to this region. "The development was concentrated in two central streets of the city along the local port and almost every trace of the region’s authenticity was obliterated." Shops for souvenirs, trumpery, cafes, bars or nightclubs.

The initiative to change the economic model came from members of the local community and business. Several active citizens decided not to wait for the state and government policies to guide the growth but to change themselves the environment in which they would like to grow and live. The first step was to define the objectives they want to achieve - to create a healthy and stable microclimate, offering better quality of life and taking care first for the locals and then for the tourists. The next one was to determine the advantages of the region, the preservation of historical authenticity of some of its buildings and its archaeological heritage.

Once the objectives had been set, the business elite of Koroni along with various voluntary organizations and active citizens have undertaken to promote the advantages of the region. They have organised an international forum in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the local government organizations to present the cultural heritage of Koroni. Then they joined the Future Leaders program. Through it they have formed a group of selected students in their last year before the completion of the master's degree and have prepared a detailed business plan to redirect the economic development of the city to a more appropriate and more sustainable model that is based on the cultural and historical characteristics of the city.

The students’ business plan for Koroni was prepared with the directions and assistance of the consultants from the economic consortium HAY Group, who are specialized to transform development strategies in real action. "You understand that if the citizens had to turn directly to the HAY Group without using the opportunity provided by programs such as Future Leaders, the cost of the business plan prepared by the corporation would make the reform of the local economy unprofitable." Ioannis Poulos said it is crucial to activate the initiative of individuals to be able to change the overall environment. He also noted that the working groups established to determine the strategy should include scientists, businessmen, activists and NGOs to ensure different views on the preparation of the final action plan.

The initiative of the activists from Koroni is appreciated in another field. Once they have organised with their followers from Italy, Spain and Morocco, in late 2009 UNESCO officially includes the Mediterranean diet in the list of intangible cultural heritage of mankind. Olives, olive oil, fruits and other products typical for the region of Koroni are included in the Mediterranean diet, which naturally creates a model of a trademark, which directly stimulates the production and export of goods from the region.

The citizens’ initiative Diazoma is another inspiring example of how volunteers and activists have taken to enlist, map, restore and promote the ancient theatres in Greece. The founder and chairman Stavros Benos, a former mayor of the city of Kalamata, told the story of the organisation. After the start of the project 125 old ancient theatres have been registered in the country of which 55 were in good condition, 45 in semi-good and 25 in very poor condition. The founders of Diazoma have been working over 10 years to form the organisation in its present form and the private sector and the citizens as well as representatives of state administration have made great efforts too.

"The idea of ​​restoration of ancient monuments from antiquity inspired people at different levels and with different capabilities, and the overall love for our cultural heritage and culture prevailed over the chaos reigning in the public sector and the carelessness of institutions as a whole," said Stavros Benos. Diazoma is available through its website, which provides complete information about the current projects. The organisation has prepared 22 sponsorship reports presenting the exact parameters of each site and engineering breakdowns of the costs needed to complete the full restoration of each ancient theatre separately. These data provide companies, individuals and organisations wishing to donate funds for the rehabilitation of the cultural heritage of Greece with complete information and precise figures. All donations are disclosed on the web page by name and in full transparency.

The design, excavation, conservation, restoration and functional integration are funded in three main ways. The first is through the activation of resources and assistance by local residents and local government organisations, the second is through donations from sponsors availing significant financial resources that want to support the recovery of ancient theatres. The third is a patent of Diazoma that have created in the virtual space of the organisation the option "Adopt an ancient theatre". Through it every citizen can donate any amount to the bank account of the project and his or her name is immediately published on the web site.

With joint efforts and different methods, Diazoma contributed to the collection of almost 32 million euros for the restoration and recovery of the ancient theatres in the country. The amounts vary from one or two euros to thousands of euros, depending on the capabilities of the donators. Among the donators mentioned above I find especially touching the donation of the children from a municipal school who decided to issue a handmade student newspaper. The sales of its only issue brought them 80 euros and the children donated them to the organisation. The mobile phones application will be launched in September this year and tourists, archaeologists, or just curious people will be able to get complete information about the condition, the history of various ancient theatres in Greece, and the characteristics of the region in which they were found. Stavros Benos was clear that any initiative and objective could be achieved with the desire of the individual person and said in conclusion that the role of the state in Greece has to and will change completely. He urged the citizens not to wait for the government policies to change the regional structure, but they themselves to improve the microclimate of the region.