Hello everyone!
You all know me as Nim, and I’ve been an active member of this community since I founded my nation, Nimarya, in this region about a year and a half ago. I’ve been a citizen since November 26, 2019, and I joined the Executive Staff not long after. I always like to tell the story of how I ended up here with fondness: I spawned in this region randomly and never intended to stay! This was my second nation (my first had ceased to exist after about two years of only answering issues and lurking on the gameside forum), and I believed that a huge Game-Created Region, let alone the largest GCR in the game, could never become a home for me. After all, how could one person ever find a voice in such a huge, crowded place?
So, the only reason I lingered in The North Pacific was because I wanted to research a good User-Created Region to move to, but didn’t want to move before I was sure of where I wanted to go. Naturally, those plans were soon forgotten, because TNP took barely any time at all to draw me in, and I’m very happy that it did. This place is big, yes, but once you reach the forums and the regional Discord, you enter a community that has a place for anyone who sticks around- and there are many things that make it worth sticking around. I’ve found my best online friends here, and I’ve had so much fun. I love this place, and that’s why I’m here today.
I want to give to the region the fun and life and community that makes it worthwhile in the end. My desire is to focus on the different internal branches of the region and the Executive, and to work with staff to cultivate each Ministry in order to reach a healthier state. If my experiences from a consecutive year on the Executive Council (under three different Delegates!) have taught me anything, it’s that your beginning focus for any struggling ministry or staff has to be the community that it is made of. You can’t hope to climb if you can’t walk, and to focus successfully on creating a functional system with a motivated and trained staff will take you miles further than you could have expected.
That is what I plan to do.
Goals for the Executive Staff
While some of our Ministries are in a great place- which is in no small part due to the amazing efforts of their Ministers- others are undeniably struggling. A general diagnosis for these Ministries will tell you that they suffer from a lack of sufficient training, from a lack of staff, and from a lack of motivation. These are common themes that appear each term in varying amounts, due to the natural cycle of staff, leadership, and regional activity. However, I don’t believe that the health of the Executive Staff is out of our hands. With the right passion and commitment, I intend to see an improvement in the aspects of each Ministry that we can affect, one step at a time.
Home Affairs:
This Ministry will always be near and dear to my heart, and will likely receive much of my attention. Not only is it the place where I took my first important step into leadership in TNP, it’s an often overlooked and thankless, yet nonetheless essential component to our Executive Staff. Recruitment and integration is the lifeblood of the region. Every component of our community is kept alive and growing by the flow of new members that enter our region, and it’s Home Affairs that directs and aids the residents who join.
As Delegate, I would be invested in returning regular activity to the mentorship program in Home Affairs. Once again, every new member registered on the forum will be contacted in a relatively quick amount of time by a mentor. Lists will resume a schedule of at least one generated a week, and the focus for each list will be coordinated with the rest of the Executive Council, so that the area in most need of recruitment will have that aid. The Welcome Wagon as a program will also be further developed. Volunteers will be better trained in how to best direct and assist new members on Discord, and an effort will be made to ensure that different time zones and days are being covered as best as reasonably possible.
Lastly, I would like to see Home Affairs take a more active role in promoting different activities and festivals in TNP as they occur, and for the Minister of Home Affairs to work closely with other Ministers in order to determine how best to raise engagement.
Gameside Advocates:
Gameside Advocates are technically folded into the Ministry of Home Affairs; however, they have long operated primarily independently, and they have done an excellent job. GAs are the first government officials that new residents often interact with, and they are crucial in monitoring the RMB, greeting and helping newcomers, and in promoting everything from our forums to special regional events to our gameside community.
I would like to see GA’s continue their good work as they have been, but I would also like to see them interact with the gameside community in other ways. As a group, GAs will get together and brainstorm new polls for the region, and create questions or conversation topics for each day. They will come up with short, fun games and activities to entertain and bring together the different nations that are active on our RMB, and it is my hope that this will help to influence a more wholesome and enjoyable gameside environment.
Communications:
This Ministry has struggled tremendously in the past few terms, through no necessary fault of the Ministers leading. It is difficult to recruit active staff for Communications, and even more difficult to recruit staff capable of writing to the standards that our regional publications require. However, I do have a few ideas for how we will be able to help. Of course, we will utilize Home Affairs and GAs to bring in new applicants, but we will also work on building a way to train and utilize our new staff members to their fullest potential.
As Delegate, I will oversee the creation of a streamlined but useful writing guide. It will overview some common grammar and punctuation errors, answer some common questions, and will break down how to write a professional article for Communications. In addition to this resource, new staff members will have the option to write a “Mentored Article” where they can write their first piece with the guidance of a more experienced staff member.
The Northern Lights and Polaris will both be continued on a regular publishing schedule, but I intend to add a new element to our Ministry of Communications. I want to incorporate some pieces of creative writing in order to attract writers who are skilled, but might not necessarily be interested in purely journalistic articles. I believe that by integrating different types of writing, we will increase interest in both the staff and in reading the pieces that we publish.
One possible way we can do this is by looking into the possibility of creating a TNP Gallery Publication, to be released towards the end of the term. It would be promoted gameside as well as on our forum and Discord, and would be open to any original, artistic creations. Poems, short stories, essays, and even art such as digital art, flags, crests, paintings, and photographs could all be submitted and then curated for this publication that would highlight the talent and creativity of TNP’s residents.
Radio:
Radio is another Ministry that has suffered from a lack of suitable staff, although this has not prevented Cascadia from ensuring that the Ministry remained active and put out regular content for the region. Similarly to Communications, I plan to increase Radio’s visibility and recruitment pull by utilizing its projects as advertisements for itself. When Radio releases a video or organizes an interview or stream, we will work with HA and GAs to get out the word to the region, and we will include a message encouraging interested residents to apply. I will also have the Ministry of Radio investigate the possibility of hosting podcasts that discuss and provide commentary on various regional events throughout the term.
I believe Radio can be an incredible asset, especially when it works alongside other Ministries. With the technical knowledge of radio staff, our abilities to invest in cultural activities are aided, and so I intend to explore the possibility of having Culture and Radio collaborate to stream games and possibly films in different community events. Additionally, I would like to see occasional interviews conducted throughout the term to highlight and give exposure to various influential members and areas of the government.
Cards:
For the Ministry of Cards, my first concern will be sustainability. In order to assist with keeping our regional cards pool stocked, I would look for ways to incentivize card donations, such as by publicly announcing and thanking donors, unless it is specified that the donor would prefer to remain anonymous. We could look into the possibility of giving special Discord masks or forum badges for those who give particularly generous donations. Another goal of mine is to increase recruitment efforts to obtain new Cards Guild staff (not merely Cards Guild members), both via Home Affairs telegrams and by creating some incentive to attract card farmers. We need new staff dedicated to farming and transferring cards so that we can construct a solid card farming rotation and ensure the The North Pacific will be able to keep up with demand and remain a powerful influence in the realm of cards.
I would also like to see the maintenance and revival of the basic things that have made TNP’s Cards Guild such a success. I will ensure regular pull events take place, and I also want to see a continuation of The Collection Spotlight, even if it is only done once in the term, as I personally find it one of the more fun and innocent activities involved with cards that could be engaging for newer or more casual collectors. The Ministry of Cards will continue to supply for occasional events and the WADP awards, and effort will be made to better advertise the giveaways to the region.
Culture:
I have adored the performance of Culture this past term. Madjack and his crew have introduced a variety, consistency, and creativity to the events and programs put on that I had never seen before in my stay in The North Pacific. What I particularly love was that the cultural activities were for the entire region and reached everyone, whether they were on our Discord or RMB. As such, there is not much I can add as a potential candidate, except that as Delegate I would strive to ensure that the Ministry of Culture continues the momentum that has been built, and has all of the support and assistance they need to see the things they envision become reality.
One thing I am passionate about pursuing for Culture is Discord get-together events for the community. As I mentioned above when discussing the Ministry of Radio, I very much want to see regional game nights of some kind put on. These would not necessarily be huge or formal events, but rather just sessions set up for people to play together. Jackbox, Uno, and Minecraft are all just a few of the possible activities, and I know that there are many in the region who would enjoy a game night as much as I.
I also intend to revive the ill-fated TNP Book Club I began several terms ago, but never had the time to invest in. I still believe the idea has potential, but will need effort and some time to construct into something worthwhile, and I believe it can receive that under the Ministry of Culture’s wing. After a system for book selection is decided upon, we can incorporate activities and discussions for the books. There are many bookworms in TNP, and all they really need is a platform to share.
World Assembly Affairs:
For World Assembly Affairs, like several of our other Ministries, the first concern is manpower. My priority will be making sure that proper guides and training are made available to new WAA staff members. An emphasis will be placed on more evenly distributing tasks such as opening threads and writing IFVs. I will also focus on stoking the engagement of staff members in WAA by having World Assembly and Security Council history lessons take place in the World Assembly Affairs Executive Staff channel when it is relevant to current proposals. The Ministry will host internal discussions on recent resolutions, and dig into the politics of some of the more interesting proposals to hit the floor.
We will also make an effort to increase the activity and visibility of WALL. We can do this by moving some of our discussion to the WALL server and by pinging members there to offer their insight and opinions. Based on those responses, we would then write our IFV from that. We could also post our IFVs in WALL, and look into hosting an event during the term that would promote and spark involvement in WALL. As Delegate, I would seek to bring together the signatories for a conference aimed to discuss the direction and momentum of WALL. Ultimately, we should engage with the other signatories and seriously seek to expand, improve, and modernize WALL.
Foreign Affairs:
For the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an effort needs to be made to better raise up and train newer talents. It is not easy to find citizens with the right disposition for FA work, or to get them the experience they need to become capable of holding crucial positions, but by having junior staff tag along to some FA discussions as strict observers, they can learn by watching instead of just being thrown into the fire. Also, by discussing recent FA decisions and developments with FA staff, Senior Diplomats can break down the history, nuance, and reasoning behind the events so that newer diplomats can gain a larger knowledge base and a better understanding.
Internationally, TNP will continue to be assertive but fair. We will be willing to compromise within reason and when it is called for, but we will not compromise our integrity or regional interests and reputation. On that note, I would like to continue the regular FA reports and transparency to the region that we have seen with Praetor as our Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Defense:
Last but certainly not least, we come to the Ministry of Defense. The North Pacific Army is my second home in TNP, and it is my desire to watch the NPA continue to evolve and grow. During the past term, I served as Minister of Defense and watched as the world of military gameplay changed substantially. Seemingly overnight, the tactics we had been using were no longer feasible, and the odds were undeniably stacked against us. However, I’m proud to say that the determination and ingenuity of the NPA rose to the occasion, and we emerged with skills and tactics that not only leveled the playing field, but put us on track to be one of the most effective contenders in R/D.
While I can no longer fight in the trenches as a soldier myself, I would nonetheless hold a crucial role in shaping and guiding the course of the NPA, and as Delegate I would prioritize our focus on two key elements. First, we need to refine our system for training soldiers and officers. Lately, the NPA has been substantially better about conducting regular and experimental training operations. We will continue this pattern as best as possible, but the experience that is gained by following along in a regular training operation can only go so far. A new officer’s education must be supplemented with at least some form of standardized lessons on the mechanics of R/D.
My desire is to see the publication of a comprehensive and accessible manual that will be available to all our soldiers. This guide is actually almost halfway written already, because it’s a project that I began as Minister of Defense. I believe with some effort and collaboration we could have it completed and published well before the next midterm. This guide will be divided into “lessons” to coincide with each rank of the NPA. Therefore, every Private, Corporal, and so on will have the same basis of knowledge to work with. There is also the advantage that, with this organization, a brand new player begins only with the things they need to know for their first operation. After that, they gain access to new lessons, and become capable of participating further, and so on, all the way through to the first officer rank, Lieutenant.
Secondly, I want to focus on bringing in new soldiers to the NPA. One idea I want to work on is hosting an NPA Festival. This Festival would be heavily oriented for gameside promotion, and would have many aspects conducted on the RMB. In fact, one event would include an operation conducted on the RMB, in which civilians would be encouraged and taught how to participate. The event would also include interviews, games, and more. I think representing the NPA to players in an active and fun way will do wonders for our publicity and recruitment efforts.
Conclusion
It might seem counterintuitive to write about myself and my experiences after I’ve already presented my agenda, but I wanted the first focus of this platform to be on why I desired to run, and then on what an administration under me would strive to be. However, that’s not to say that I have little experience or background that would assist me in leading the region. I have been a Deputy Minister of Home Affairs for a term, and I’ve served as McMasterdonia’s Press Secretary in a previous term. I’ve been privy to crucial Foreign Affairs discussions and decisions, and I was heavily involved in the conception and eventual creation of the Ministry of Communication’s new publication Polaris, along with other administrative changes in the Ministry. Most importantly, I have served on the Executive Council for three terms in a row, in two very different positions. On both occasions, I inherited a Ministry or organization that was struggling, and in desperate need of reform.
As a two-term Minister of Home Affairs, I reworked the infrastructure of the Ministry from the ground up and achieved a level of efficiency it had not previously seen. Home Affairs was a unique challenge when it came to building a functioning staff, because how do you recruit for the Ministry that’s job is recruiting? Fortunately, a common thread to unite every member of staff was our shared love for the region, and our desire to see it grow. By encouraging that passion, we were able to strengthen Home Affairs and turn it into an enjoyable Ministry and community to be a part of.
As Minister of Defense, I did something similar to the NPA, although in that case my focus was less on infrastructure and more on reviving a dying military organization so that we could achieve standards befitting the regional military of The North Pacific. It took much dedication and creativity to gradually build up from a state of next to no activity, but despite the difficulties, leading the NPA was genuinely the most fun I had ever had playing NationStates. We banded together, invented new tactics, and I believe we re-discovered the element of “fun” that had been missing for a while. The NPA is a close-knit and entertaining community to be in, and that’s something I’m incredibly proud we’ve retained, despite the trials we’ve faced and the changes we’ve seen in High Command.
After all of these experiences, I believe that passion is one of the most important virtues of any government official- whether they are a Deputy, a Minister, or even the Delegate. As a leader, if you carry a passion for what you do and why you are doing it, that will inspire those around you, and in the end, that makes a difference.
I would be honored to serve you as the next Delegate of The North Pacific, and I hope you’ll consider me and the things I’ve said. I’ll be happy to answer any questions, and I am grateful for any advice or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Nim
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