Premier Paula Cox has told Bermudians they have to stop being self-doubters and self-haters to help turn around the economy.More than 200 people packed in a town-hall meeting at Warwick Workmen’s Club last night to listen to what Government is doing to strengthen Bermuda’s economy.Ms Cox, who is also Minister of Finance, described the economy as “a central issue” which was “common ground between us”.She said different Ministries were “putting together all their skills and talents” to tackle the issues of unemployment and job training, and to create “a platform of growth”.The Premier said Government understood it was a priority to “put Bermudians back in Bermuda”.Ms Cox said: “Bermuda has always been used to the good times and always having that little bit extra.“But now we have to reassess in order to charge forward. We need to work out what our priorities are and what the country needs to do.“We are dedicated to providing stability and a foundation for growth.“We know we cannot be reliant on a one or two legged economy, we have to look at using all our opportunities and talents. Now is the time to look through the world with new eyes.”Ms Cox explained the economy was sometimes made to sound more complex than it actually is. She asked the crowd to imagine the two scenarios of a worker demanding a bigger office and three or four children living in the same room.She received a round of applause as she said: “Have we lost our minds or have we lost our sense of priority?“Of course we haven’t, not everyone is wealthy and we are doing our job of providing for Bermuda”.Ms Cox was joined by four of her colleagues; Business Development and Tourism Minister Patrice Minors, Youth, Families and Sport Minister Glenn Blakeney and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Kim Wilson and Community Development Minister Michael Weeks.The panel of five Ministers sat behind name signs on a table, with a poster behind them showing their head shots next to an aerial photo of Bermuda. The poster read: ‘Pulling together to make it better for Bermuda’.The crowd was told the town hall meeting was their opportunity “to share their thoughts, to help and to be part of the solution”.Ms Cox admitted there had been challenges “as a country and as a Government,” but it was important to work together to move forward.She said “a sense of social cohesion and a sense of comfort” was what made a country healthy. Ms Cox said Saturday’s fashion show at City Hall was “one example of what Bermudians are made of”.Ms Cox simplified the economy by breaking it down into five factors, urging the crowd to remember that the five fingers on our hands are “the five seeds to success”.The Premier talked about stability and financial growth, enhancing competition, using talents and opportunities, removing the barriers to grow and reforming public finances.Ms Cox said: “Bermudians, we have to stop being self-doubters and self-haters. We have to all be part of the solution to turn around the economy. This Government is determined and committed and everyone else should be too”.Each Minister was then given the opportunity to discuss the role of their Ministries and initiatives relating to the economy.Ms Minors talked about increasing employment, revenue and diversification saying a Business Development Unit and Asset Management Task Force had been set up.She said the Bermuda Department of Tourism was committed to promoting Bermudian entertainers through live events this summer and highlighted the Bermuda Hospitality Institute’s START programme, which has given high school students summer employment.Mr Blakeney said he was facing the challenge “square in the face” and spoke at length about his Ministry’s proposed youth apprenticeship programme where 17 to 25-year-olds will help to renovate historic buildings.He also explained how money was given to “those in dire need” through Financial Assistance.Ms Wilson said she was working towards job creation and job retention for Bermudians through the moratorium on work permits in certain job categories, training schemes and the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation gave financial aid to entrepreneurs to “turn passion into profit”.Mr Weeks talked about “retraining and retooling” the youth through the Job Corps programme, the Folk life apprenticeship scheme, a summer internship programme and the wide variety of courses on offer in the Community Education programme.The public could ask questions or make comments in person or anonymously in writing to ensure that “no one was excluded”.The topics frequently addressed were the apprenticeship programmes, job losses, international business, protecting Bermudian jobs and future plans for tourism.The meeting continued for about two-and-a-half hours and further town hall meetings will now be planned. The crowd was told “stay tuned for the next one”.