1ST World Conference “SMART” GREEK ISLANDS
4 & 5 SEPTEMBER 2024 @ PSERIMOS
UNDER THE AUSPICES
SUBJECT: SMART ISLANDS
Dear Mayors of Greek Islands,
Dear Greek Diaspora Scientists,
We are a group of your compatriots, members of the International Hellenic Association (IHA) and live in our homeland Greece, we have thought of motivating Greeks islanders who live in our beautiful small Greek islands, whose population is constantly declining, to pursuade to stay and grow their families. We are confident that among us there are Greek scientists around the world, who have very important ideas for how to make their stay in our small Greek islands attractive.
Recently IHA renovated the school at Pserimos, which had been closed for 14 years, and its reopening was launched by the Ministry of Education in September 2023. However, to fully complete this project, we need to build in addition a children’s park with a toddler playground, a playground of elementary school and a small event theatre.
We believe that, with your scientific knowledge and our support work, we can contribute greatly and help achieve the national goal of halting the population collapse. Perhaps some engineers have some ideas of producing affordable and secure energy from air and water. Our IT specialists with modern technology could submit innovative suggestions e.g., on telecommunications. Or our doctors could suggest efficient ways of taking care of the inhabitants of these wonderful islands with telemedicine and more.
Our teachers could organize lessons in collaboration with the Ministry of Education for students who will grow on Smart Islands. To get an idea of the needs of Pserimos you can refer to the strategic plan we have prepared: https://iha-smartislands.org/52958-2
We propose to start this national effort at Pserimos, by holding this World Conference on Smart Islands (on September 4 and 5, 2024) that will cover all Greek islands interested in being transformed into ‘smart’.
With this letter we invite all of you to send us the title of your recommendation to prepare the preliminary program of our conference. For anyone who wishes to attend the conference, participation is free. More details on accommodation and methods of travelling to Pserimos are available on our main info section.
Yours Sincerely,
| Ms. Popi Koutouzi Vogelzang Deputy Mayor of Kalymnos Tourism & Public Relationships | Dr. Magda Tsolaki Neurologist, Psychiatrist, Theologian Emeritus Professor AUTH, Member of IHA, Conference President |