Welcome to the new, improved, bigger-better-faster SillyString Culture Ministry, now with 68% more string! I have several rather ambitious goals for this term and I'm looking forward to getting straight to work. There are three main areas we'll be focusing on, aside from getting a better motto for the ministry seal:
Holidays
TNP has eight holidays, and four of them currently fall between now and the end of the next election. However, I don't think we've ever properly made the most of them or really incorporated them into the broader regional culture or awareness. I think we can change that, and I have the following specific goals:
- Increase regional awareness of exactly what our holidays celebrate. For example, participants in Manumission Day or Liberation day celebrations should come away with a basic knowledge of what happened that is worth celebrating.
- Introduce new ideas. Holiday celebrations should be as different from each other as the things those holidays represent. For example, IRL, americans do fireworks on the fourth of july, extort candy from strangers on halloween, overeat with friends and family on thanskgiving, and exchange gifts on christmas. To really generate the kind of cultural impact I'm looking for, our holidays should be just as unique and interesting.
- Create lasting traditions. Not everything needs to be repeated every year, but I want at least a core element for each holiday that we can repeat annually. That's how traditions are built!
- Have lots of fun! Engage new people with TNP's community, get them to stick around, and grab the interest of people who maybe have been around for a while but maybe have started feeling bored.
Events
Events, in my mind, encompasses both TNP-specific things like the Lennarts, Storyteller awards, and so on, and also interregional events. Unfortunately, the last interregional event or two that we had were... well, they flopped. Interregional events have always been hard to pull off, as they involve convincing people a) that the event itself will be fun and b) that they should go register on another forum just for the week. So, I'd like for us to experiment with new and different ideas for how to pull these off.
For example: Discord events, with cross-region voice chats. RMB events, where participating regions open their RMBs up to cross-posting and we design games that can be played that way. Competitions to see how many people each region can get to adopt the regional flag for the day. You get the idea: Things that lower the barrier of entry for participation, and that let people take part without stepping too far outside what's familiar to them.
As for internal events, I'd love it if we could see older awards resurrected or new ones designed. I'm hoping to find someone - or several someones - who will step up and take ownership here. Pick a thing you love or would love to see, sell me on it, and then make it happen.
I am also looking for a deputy minister who is particularly interested in this area. Your role will include helping to brainstorm ideas, finalizing specific plans, setting dates, and coordinating with other regions. If you want to apply, send me a PM stating your interest and include an outline of one cool idea you will implement if you are selected. The more detail you provide, and the more awesome you make it sound, the better!
Roleplay
The title of this section is a bit misleading, as I don't actually intend for the Culture ministry to focus all that much on RP. That area seems to be humming along pretty smoothly, with the combination of the Conclave and the RP Mods - it's active, new people are joining all the time, the map is continuing to be regularly updated, and all around it seems to be doing fine without too much meddling.
What I do want to explore is finding ways where the culture ministry, either through its work in culture or through its connections to the rest of the government, can help enhance what RP is already doing. Should RP be included in regional events or celebrations? Would a joint project with Home Affairs help with attracting new members? Should we inform TNPers of what's going on in the RP world just like the Speaker informs the region what's happening in the RA? Can, or should, we tie RP in more with the regional government? I don't know what the right answers are, but I'm sure a pile of smart people putting their heads together can come up with some ideas!
Goyanes will be taking charge in this area, as Deputy Culture Minister for Roleplay Affairs.
That's quite a mouthful, innit? If you think you have some ideas for improving RP, or if you're an active RPer and you see a problem that we can fix, talk to him!Thank you for reading - now get back to work!
