Introduction
My name is Kaschovia, current Deputy Minister for Defense and Culture, and I am officially running for Delegate of the North Pacific. Formerly I have served as Vice Delegate, a Security Councillor, four-time Minister of Communications, Minister of Culture, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Gameside Affairs, Deputy Minister for every currently existing ministry, four-time Deputy Speaker, and have reached the rank of Captain in the North Pacific Army with fifty-one operations joined, five of those led. I’ve called the North Pacific my home for over seven years and served on the executive council under multiple different delegates, and I now believe it is the right time for me to make a case for the highest position our region has to offer.
Back in April, I knew I wanted to be responsible for the return of the Ministry of Communications. At the time I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do that, but I have Madjack to thank primarily, because without him telling me rather frankly to just write something, I may not have put together, designed, and published the first edition of the North Star since 2021, at a time when the ministry was a distant memory. It was this sudden burst of ambition and determination, combined with the amazing group of people who have worked alongside me since the start of the term, that made the revival possible. Of course, I have Gorundu to thank for trusting in me to bring the ministry back in the first place. The deputies I appointed during my time are now taking the reins and continue to remind me every day why I took my chances: because that is exactly the level of ambition our region was built upon. I’d be doing myself a disservice if I did not believe in myself enough to take another step forward and share my ideas when they might prove most useful to the community.
I think I’ve proven that I can implement new ideas and build effective teams in my time as Minister of Communications and Deputy Minister of Defense this term, but I aim to do so across the entire executive. Many have seen the potential we all have to get things done and set the highest standards for the rest of NationStates, but we have to be honest with ourselves when we’re not operating at our greatest capacity and address the key issues. The unforeseen unavailability of some of our most important tools swept our feet from under us when we were moving along too comfortably, but we need to get back up and keep going. I get the sense many of us simply want security in knowing we can make progress without falling repeatedly into patterns of uncertainty and stagnation, which requires open dialogue with ministers and honest conversations with citizens. The last few months have been a lot tougher than most in the past few years, and may get tougher, but it’s at times like this we must remember just how much potential our community has to come together and succeed like never before. I hope you resonate with the ambition in my ideas and trust in me to implement them. We can and will emerge from this period of difficulty having proven to ourselves that we are capable of anything.
Defense
In my capacity as Deputy Minister of Defense, and even before that as a lieutenant, I worked alongside Comfed and the High Command to improve the recruitment strategies of the North Pacific Army. Spreadsheets and rosters were updated, new milestone and achievement ribbons were designed in addition to a new set of rank ribbons for forum signatures, an operation count leaderboard was prototyped, multiple citizens were recruited into the ranks, our dispatch reports got an aesthetic upgrade, and I introduced NPA-specific cards for each of our soldiers. However, when looking to the future:
High Command Integration
I’d like to implement further integration of High Command members into the recruitment and training process. It is essential for NPA recruitment that we have a culture of encouragement and enthusiasm for our military operations, and that happens from the top down. I believe teaching can be a great way of solidifying existing knowledge, and strengthens the abilities of all the soldiers in our ranks. It would be my top priority when it comes to the Ministry of Defense to turn the NPA into one of the most capable and welcoming militaries in all of NationStates.
Regular and Consistent Training
In an earlier version of this platform, I would have encouraged solidifying our ability to conduct operations and consistent training on our own, without relying too much on other organizations for regular training opportunities and missions, employing the High Command to bring some new soldiers up the ranks. While I would still like to see our High Command do so, it’s clear following the delegate tip of our region orchestrated by TCB and the Brotherhood of Malice, we will need to continue working with our allies in order to enact our response. Whether we find ourselves in a state of war, or considering alternatives outside of that scope, it is clear we are not going to find peace anytime soon, and we need to continue working regularly with our allies, not just on training operations, but when it matters most.
Improved Recruitment Efforts
On the topic of a potential state of war with TCB/BoM, it is crucial that we get our recruitment process right. This starts with our media output: we need to be celebrating the NPA as far and as wide as possible, whether that’s on the RMB, Discord, or forums. In addition to this, we need to be improving our outreach. The RMB is one of our most active regional areas and we can certainly do more to advertise the benefits of joining the NPA on a regular basis, as well as through Discord, the forums, and our Home Affairs lists. Reaching out to former NPA members, or those who showed interest but recently stopped, to see what we can do to get them back into our ranks will also aid this effort. Overall, there are so many ways we can build upon the success we saw in our recruitment towards the end of last term, we just need to dedicate ourselves to those causes and we will boost our ranks in no time at all.
More Diversified Set of Rewards
The NPA would benefit a lot from a more diversified set of rewards, so every soldier has an incentive to climb the ranks now that the pre-lieutenant ranks are standardized. I did design some new ribbons for the fifty and seventy-five operation milestones, but I believe we can manage more ribbons for all of our most important operations and do a better job of promoting them for recruitment. I also designed an operation count leaderboard much earlier in the term, which will also play a role in our improved recruitment strategy. The NPA calling cards should continue, can change based on promotions to incentivize activity, and should still feature in the improved dispatch report format.
Hall of Fame and Medals of Honor
And finally, I’d like to instate a hall of fame with individual stories and accounts for some of our most decorated officers. We all know who they are, and I think it’s about time their stories were told. I want to inspire the next generation to climb the ranks and write their own stories, and I think this would be a great way to do so. In the same vein, last term I also discussed with High Command the possibility of the Delegate or Minister of Defense awarding medals of honor to recognize some of the most impressive acts of our soldiers throughout the term. These would be given out at the end of the term to a select few who have truly impressed, and the hall of fame would see one or two inductees per term.
Foreign Affairs
I believe Foreign Affairs can be broken down into two areas - theoretical and practical. Essentially, how we think about foreign policy and how we apply that thinking in practice. Both of those areas should be closely in alignment, where any gaps should be filled with pragmatic and honest decision-making based on discussions with FA leadership. Issues can arise from a misalignment between those areas, so we need to be steadfast and united in our approach. What I believe is missing from the FA ministry currently is a web of understanding between senior and junior staff that reassures and enables everyone to take part in the higher level decision-making and discussions. There have been many attempts in the past at bridging this gap, but the gameplay sphere and all the complex scenarios that come with it can be a formidable obstacle for even the toughest of aspiring diplomats to overcome. Every situation is nuanced, with unknowable factors at play around every corner, which is why it is so important that there is regular communication between staff about why specific decisions are made. I have a couple of ideas to remedy this.
A New Way Of Learning FA
Firstly, instructional case studies, both in written and possibly video format, could prove immensely informative for junior diplomats in teaching some of the key lessons in foreign affairs. One of the key problems with training staff in foreign policy is the abstraction of real relations. With such case studies, an explanation of the actual application of theory would remove this layer of abstraction and allow staff to gain deeper insight into the decision-making processes of leading foreign policy staff. If a junior diplomat is interested in learning about foreign affairs, and asks senior diplomats to explain the course of action taken in a specific circumstance, I believe we should be able to provide the right answers and encourage them to keep learning. This would require planning alongside senior diplomats and ministry leadership, but I think expanding the ways in which we teach our diplomats is extremely important.
Visualizing Our Diplomatic Network
Secondly, I did some independent research about a month and a half ago regarding a matrix of our allies, comparing who had which specific treaties with who, whether they were longstanding or a non-aggression pact for example, and I realized many junior staff may struggle to approach higher level foreign policy because they’re not being shown the bigger picture. When you can look down on all the connections between our major allies and begin to ask questions about that, a more enriched view of our region’s foreign affairs is revealed. I think this could be a starting step for a lot of completely new staff as they can situate themselves diplomatically according to their assignments. This would essentially be an updated map, with each assignee reporting back on the relations of their embassy, serving both as an informative task and as a means of creating useful visualizations for the ministry itself.
Further Involving Diplomats
And finally, the position of diplomat is fairly underutilized as the only real responsibility they hold currently is distributing announcements and publications, which needs to change. It is more important than ever for diplomats and staff to feel more involved in the process of foreign affairs as the gameplay landscape continually changes. This means being included in more discussions around events, treaties, embassies, and decision-making. Foreign Affairs can be more than a publications and announcement distribution service, it can instead offer more avenues for learning and engagement for anyone in the executive to understand just what it takes to carry out great diplomacy.
In terms of a practical approach to foreign affairs, we have to be adaptable and headstrong. As an independent GCR with over twenty years of history, we should not be afraid to hold our own, which means we have to know what we want on the world stage.My name is Kaschovia, current Deputy Minister for Defense and Culture, and I am officially running for Delegate of the North Pacific. Formerly I have served as Vice Delegate, a Security Councillor, four-time Minister of Communications, Minister of Culture, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Gameside Affairs, Deputy Minister for every currently existing ministry, four-time Deputy Speaker, and have reached the rank of Captain in the North Pacific Army with fifty-one operations joined, five of those led. I’ve called the North Pacific my home for over seven years and served on the executive council under multiple different delegates, and I now believe it is the right time for me to make a case for the highest position our region has to offer.
Back in April, I knew I wanted to be responsible for the return of the Ministry of Communications. At the time I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do that, but I have Madjack to thank primarily, because without him telling me rather frankly to just write something, I may not have put together, designed, and published the first edition of the North Star since 2021, at a time when the ministry was a distant memory. It was this sudden burst of ambition and determination, combined with the amazing group of people who have worked alongside me since the start of the term, that made the revival possible. Of course, I have Gorundu to thank for trusting in me to bring the ministry back in the first place. The deputies I appointed during my time are now taking the reins and continue to remind me every day why I took my chances: because that is exactly the level of ambition our region was built upon. I’d be doing myself a disservice if I did not believe in myself enough to take another step forward and share my ideas when they might prove most useful to the community.
I think I’ve proven that I can implement new ideas and build effective teams in my time as Minister of Communications and Deputy Minister of Defense this term, but I aim to do so across the entire executive. Many have seen the potential we all have to get things done and set the highest standards for the rest of NationStates, but we have to be honest with ourselves when we’re not operating at our greatest capacity and address the key issues. The unforeseen unavailability of some of our most important tools swept our feet from under us when we were moving along too comfortably, but we need to get back up and keep going. I get the sense many of us simply want security in knowing we can make progress without falling repeatedly into patterns of uncertainty and stagnation, which requires open dialogue with ministers and honest conversations with citizens. The last few months have been a lot tougher than most in the past few years, and may get tougher, but it’s at times like this we must remember just how much potential our community has to come together and succeed like never before. I hope you resonate with the ambition in my ideas and trust in me to implement them. We can and will emerge from this period of difficulty having proven to ourselves that we are capable of anything.
Defense
In my capacity as Deputy Minister of Defense, and even before that as a lieutenant, I worked alongside Comfed and the High Command to improve the recruitment strategies of the North Pacific Army. Spreadsheets and rosters were updated, new milestone and achievement ribbons were designed in addition to a new set of rank ribbons for forum signatures, an operation count leaderboard was prototyped, multiple citizens were recruited into the ranks, our dispatch reports got an aesthetic upgrade, and I introduced NPA-specific cards for each of our soldiers. However, when looking to the future:
High Command Integration
I’d like to implement further integration of High Command members into the recruitment and training process. It is essential for NPA recruitment that we have a culture of encouragement and enthusiasm for our military operations, and that happens from the top down. I believe teaching can be a great way of solidifying existing knowledge, and strengthens the abilities of all the soldiers in our ranks. It would be my top priority when it comes to the Ministry of Defense to turn the NPA into one of the most capable and welcoming militaries in all of NationStates.
Regular and Consistent Training
In an earlier version of this platform, I would have encouraged solidifying our ability to conduct operations and consistent training on our own, without relying too much on other organizations for regular training opportunities and missions, employing the High Command to bring some new soldiers up the ranks. While I would still like to see our High Command do so, it’s clear following the delegate tip of our region orchestrated by TCB and the Brotherhood of Malice, we will need to continue working with our allies in order to enact our response. Whether we find ourselves in a state of war, or considering alternatives outside of that scope, it is clear we are not going to find peace anytime soon, and we need to continue working regularly with our allies, not just on training operations, but when it matters most.
Improved Recruitment Efforts
On the topic of a potential state of war with TCB/BoM, it is crucial that we get our recruitment process right. This starts with our media output: we need to be celebrating the NPA as far and as wide as possible, whether that’s on the RMB, Discord, or forums. In addition to this, we need to be improving our outreach. The RMB is one of our most active regional areas and we can certainly do more to advertise the benefits of joining the NPA on a regular basis, as well as through Discord, the forums, and our Home Affairs lists. Reaching out to former NPA members, or those who showed interest but recently stopped, to see what we can do to get them back into our ranks will also aid this effort. Overall, there are so many ways we can build upon the success we saw in our recruitment towards the end of last term, we just need to dedicate ourselves to those causes and we will boost our ranks in no time at all.
More Diversified Set of Rewards
The NPA would benefit a lot from a more diversified set of rewards, so every soldier has an incentive to climb the ranks now that the pre-lieutenant ranks are standardized. I did design some new ribbons for the fifty and seventy-five operation milestones, but I believe we can manage more ribbons for all of our most important operations and do a better job of promoting them for recruitment. I also designed an operation count leaderboard much earlier in the term, which will also play a role in our improved recruitment strategy. The NPA calling cards should continue, can change based on promotions to incentivize activity, and should still feature in the improved dispatch report format.
Hall of Fame and Medals of Honor
And finally, I’d like to instate a hall of fame with individual stories and accounts for some of our most decorated officers. We all know who they are, and I think it’s about time their stories were told. I want to inspire the next generation to climb the ranks and write their own stories, and I think this would be a great way to do so. In the same vein, last term I also discussed with High Command the possibility of the Delegate or Minister of Defense awarding medals of honor to recognize some of the most impressive acts of our soldiers throughout the term. These would be given out at the end of the term to a select few who have truly impressed, and the hall of fame would see one or two inductees per term.
Foreign Affairs
I believe Foreign Affairs can be broken down into two areas - theoretical and practical. Essentially, how we think about foreign policy and how we apply that thinking in practice. Both of those areas should be closely in alignment, where any gaps should be filled with pragmatic and honest decision-making based on discussions with FA leadership. Issues can arise from a misalignment between those areas, so we need to be steadfast and united in our approach. What I believe is missing from the FA ministry currently is a web of understanding between senior and junior staff that reassures and enables everyone to take part in the higher level decision-making and discussions. There have been many attempts in the past at bridging this gap, but the gameplay sphere and all the complex scenarios that come with it can be a formidable obstacle for even the toughest of aspiring diplomats to overcome. Every situation is nuanced, with unknowable factors at play around every corner, which is why it is so important that there is regular communication between staff about why specific decisions are made. I have a couple of ideas to remedy this.
A New Way Of Learning FA
Firstly, instructional case studies, both in written and possibly video format, could prove immensely informative for junior diplomats in teaching some of the key lessons in foreign affairs. One of the key problems with training staff in foreign policy is the abstraction of real relations. With such case studies, an explanation of the actual application of theory would remove this layer of abstraction and allow staff to gain deeper insight into the decision-making processes of leading foreign policy staff. If a junior diplomat is interested in learning about foreign affairs, and asks senior diplomats to explain the course of action taken in a specific circumstance, I believe we should be able to provide the right answers and encourage them to keep learning. This would require planning alongside senior diplomats and ministry leadership, but I think expanding the ways in which we teach our diplomats is extremely important.
Visualizing Our Diplomatic Network
Secondly, I did some independent research about a month and a half ago regarding a matrix of our allies, comparing who had which specific treaties with who, whether they were longstanding or a non-aggression pact for example, and I realized many junior staff may struggle to approach higher level foreign policy because they’re not being shown the bigger picture. When you can look down on all the connections between our major allies and begin to ask questions about that, a more enriched view of our region’s foreign affairs is revealed. I think this could be a starting step for a lot of completely new staff as they can situate themselves diplomatically according to their assignments. This would essentially be an updated map, with each assignee reporting back on the relations of their embassy, serving both as an informative task and as a means of creating useful visualizations for the ministry itself.
Further Involving Diplomats
And finally, the position of diplomat is fairly underutilized as the only real responsibility they hold currently is distributing announcements and publications, which needs to change. It is more important than ever for diplomats and staff to feel more involved in the process of foreign affairs as the gameplay landscape continually changes. This means being included in more discussions around events, treaties, embassies, and decision-making. Foreign Affairs can be more than a publications and announcement distribution service, it can instead offer more avenues for learning and engagement for anyone in the executive to understand just what it takes to carry out great diplomacy.
Strengthening New Alliances
Building upon the treaties put forward by Chipoli with The Wellspring and Carcassonne should definitely be a priority, once and if they pass, which they look highly likely to. As one of the original TNPers to help secure The Wellspring back in April, I’ve seen and helped it grow into a flourishing, unique community with its own culture and identity in just four and a half months. Once treaties are put in place between those two regions, I hope for us to organize joint regional events such that both communities can benefit from their relationships with us. There is significant crossover between citizens of The Wellspring and The North Pacific, and with such strong connections already there, it only makes sense that we nourish that connection and celebrate how far The Wellspring has come. The proposed treaty with Carcassonne, who have already built such a strong and unique community, presents a diplomatic continuation of our great relations with Taijitu and will further our involvement in the new frontier landscape.
The Drums of War
Attacks on our region by The Communist Bloc and The Brotherhood of Malice have forced us to consider war, but no matter which direction we choose as a region, we should never feel intimidated or rushed to make rash decisions. There are many who have grown tired of their antics and provocations, myself included, but when the time comes to decide whether a state of war should be recognized or declared, my sole consideration will be what is best for our community. If we decide that war is the best course of action, I will do everything in my power to ensure that we never stand down, that we engage our entire diplomatic network, and that we emerge as victors. But, if war is not the collective commitment, we will respond to those who provoke us to the furthest extent possible while avoiding said conflict. We can call upon our allies wherever they may be needed, and we have experienced military leaders to guide both offensive and defensive efforts. The North Pacific has faced adversaries much greater in strength and in cunning than both TCB and BoM; this region has survived multiple coups, conflicts, and situations exactly like this over the years, and here we stand: still a bulwark of the democratic process, still home to brilliant, innovative nations, and still completely resolute in our independence. This is not going to change anytime soon.
Culture
Leadership in Culture has changed hands multiple times since the start of the term, with all of those ministers bringing something different to the table. However, it is clear that a full-term minister is needed to harness the collective efforts of the staff, plan enjoyable events for the community, and ultimately fulfill the purpose of the ministry. Culture is an area in which we do have a lot of creative potential, but we need an uninterrupted term to build the consistency and foundations to unlock it. In addition to the ideas I am about to go over, that should be our top priority.
Expanding On Weekly Events
Weekly events need to be maintained and organized on a consistent basis. These are the bread and butter of what Culture does, and means we have something regular to offer to our community. However, I do believe there is potential for a more diverse offering of events. Discord can allow for many types of games, which also gives us opportunities to host events with other regions. Gameside promotion of weekly events, as well as smaller activities, should also be a priority, possibly with a public calendar of events put in place.
Smaller, Interregional Activities
Reaching out to other communities to host more interregional activities, even if it is just a one day event, is really important for our unity and morale. The recent success of the interregional chess arena with the West Pacific shows we can do this successfully, but it’s not just about reaching out to our allies for events, it is about creating an environment where more of us can be involved in the brainstorming and planning stages for these activities. I imagine we all have ideas for events we’d personally like to see and I think it is down to Culture to make those a reality.
We Need More Festivals
Putting together smaller events is always fun, but it’s been some time since we did anything really big. The logistics and planning of festivals can be time-consuming, but absolutely worth it. For most of last term, Culture did the absolute most it could with the ever-changing leadership, but with good ideas and a consistent team in charge, I believe the ministry can do so much more. A festival or two, or three, should definitely be on the to-do list. I absolutely envision one with The Wellspring and Carcassonne, who are likely to be our next treaty allies. Beyond that, we have so many opportunities for larger events, but staff engagement within the ministry must extend further than Music Mondays and Theme Thursdays.
World Assembly Affairs
The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs continues to prove itself as one of the most consistent executive bodies in our government. Without fail, it produces high quality IFVs, manages dozens of different voting and discussion threads, and hosts some of the most prolific WA authors in the entire game. So how can it be improved?
World Assembly Acceleration Program
The World Assembly Acceleration Program stagnated from May onwards last term, but I do believe it is one of the ways in which the ministry can look to improve. Aside from the regular IFV writing, voting threads, and other ministerial ongoings, encouraging staff to approach mentors about ideas, even if they don’t immediately succeed, is going to be something that needs exploring further. A possible expansion of the leadership core could aid in this, with more deputies appointed to address specific areas of the ministry.
Heroes of Valhalla
The Heroes of Valhalla program has already done a brilliant job in creating opportunities for existing SC authors to work on new projects and do great research, but I believe there will still be plenty of TNPers who we should be looking at drafting commendations for. We just need to dedicate some time to deciding which candidate commendations would be the most realistic to pursue, and work towards getting as many of them done as we can throughout the term. Europeia, for example, have especially capitalized on the HoV program and successfully passed many commendations of their own, so it should be the aim of our WA ministry to explore multiple potential proposals and see them through.
High-Quality Administration
Regular administration of the ministry should remain as consistent as it has been over the last few terms, primarily due to outstanding former or current ministers and deputies such as Magecastle, Simone Republic, and Chipoli. The production and publication of IFVs should remain a mainstay of ministerial activity, as well as promptly creating voting and discussion threads on the forums. There aren’t many faults or ideas for improvement here because WAA has practically reached full efficiency when it comes to its already existing responsibilities.
Staff Mentorship Expansions
The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs has recently undergone improvements to mentorship within the staff, and it's clear the extent to which training can be effective in resolution writing is similar to that of Foreign Affairs. As useful as guides can be, the best teacher in this arena is experience. Those who write more IFVs, for example, will develop an understanding over time about what makes a proposal worth support. Those who draft more on the forums will eventually learn the complicated ruleset of GenSec, proposal legality, and extant body of legislation. So in this context, I believe mentorship should take more of an understudy format, where writers or members of staff who show interest and promise are given the opportunity to help draft the proposals of more the distinguished authors who would like to serve as mentors. This way, exposure to the open, choppy ocean of the World Assembly will feel more like a smooth, informative cruise, instead of a battle against a storm. This will inspire confidence in those mentees to take on their own drafts and ideas, and ultimately support the next generation of WA authors in The North Pacific.
Home Affairs
Trident Recruitment Strategy
It is clear almost five months on from the launch of the Frontier/Strongholds update that frontier communities are here to stay, they mean business, and will continue to grow. It was predicted that our regional population would fall, and it has, but I feel the potential remedies have not been implemented to full effect just yet. We’re still without API recruitment, which stopped working with the technological collapse, and we’re still without a primary manual recruitment initiative. This needs to change. One of my top priorities will be implementing those systems as early on as possible so we can maximize our long term benefits throughout the term and stop relying on our declining spawn rates for new citizens and residents. The final system we can use is stamps, but without yet knowing how much or how little our quantity of stamps has changed since the beginning of last term, I think those first two systems should be our priority. Stamps, however, can and should still be used for recruitment if and when they are donated to us and we have enough to justify it.
Improved Incentives
Home Affairs may struggle to expand its staff ranks if its rewards schemes are not also expanded in parallel, so it will be a priority to introduce those rewards: trading cards and badges primarily. However, something similar to Culture and Theme Thursday rewards should be considered, where more productive members of staff get to change the regional banner, or the ministers flag, for a week. These sorts of ideas are going to make the difference next term, and it is important we know how we’re going to recognize staff for what can be repetitive work. Home Affairs is the backbone of the region, in my opinion, and it's more important than ever that staff feel rewarded for helping out.
Gameside Engagement
Gameside engagement stays as crucial as it always has been. Our use of the gameside advocates will be multifaceted as we take on challenges in HA recruitment, advertisement of the NPA (potentially in wartime) and the executive, RMB moderation, cultural activities, and more. In addition to this, our mentors must continue to aid those who make the jump from gameside to the forums and seek pathways into the citizenry and the executive. These are some of the most important teams in the entire executive, yet they remain relatively small and unnoticed compared to others. Supporting the emergence of new generations of players and leaders in our region is a collective effort, but more people could be getting involved.
Communications
Communications has seen a reawakening this term, coming back from dissolution and reaching new heights. The team I assembled throughout the term and handed the ministry over to following my resignation have been absolutely faultless, but we need to continue the great work we’ve been doing and most importantly make it possible for Communications to continue operating into the future sustainably.
A Better Behind-the-Scenes
The ministry will return to full administrative capacity. One of my key goals in the reestablishment of Communications was setting up a behind the scenes process for tracking the progress of the ministry and the staff. I set up a detailed spreadsheet including the term calendar, current staff roster, publication progress, and CR points tracking sheet. This system fueled a majority of our successes in the first half of the term as we saw several editions of TNS released to the highest quality. I am going to make sure this system is explained to deputies and the Communications leadership team in the hopes it can aid planning, administration, and tracking into future terms.
Collectivizing Design Efforts
A new, collaborative design team will be created. One of the hardest obstacles for any iteration of Communications over the years has been design, especially in regards to The Northern Light publication. In my time as Minister, I worked hard to make sure there were sustainable templates for in-game dispatches using BBCode, but for TNS, TNL, and NBS, a more collaborative approach is required. We have some great designers amongst us and I imagine working together on designs would only expedite the process. I personally designed three editions of TNS, but I don’t think that is sustainable and the process needs to be shared so we can pass on the torch. I plan to do this primarily through Canva, a free online graphic design tool, which I used for all of the issues of TNS and will continue using so I can share what I have learnt with the design team. I am also open to inviting alternative resources or softwares into the process if a specific designer is accustomed to it specifically.
On From the Radio Resurgence
Our broadcasting team will build upon the incredible resurgence in radio we made last term. Multiple shows were recorded, edited, and released throughout the term, while consistent and new panelists offered their thoughts and opinions on the important matters, but there is always room for improvement. The editing process is still quite slow, with shows not released until a considerable time after they are recorded, so this will be a point of focus. Additionally, poor scheduling of recordings seems to impact our output, but coordinating across varying time zones will always prove tricky. The best we can do is make use of resources like Doodle polls, or schedule shows further ahead in time. As much as I admire the tenacity of Robespierre, and sincerely hope he can continue to host shows, I would like to see more panelists lead shows as well so the experience can be passed down to future ministers and deputies. I am interested in exploring alternative forms of content, such as short form, educational, and regional guide content that can be distributed region-wide as a parallel to written dispatches or shorter guides. And finally, I’d like to see through Ruben’s effort to port our broadcasts across to Spotify in chronological order so we can further diversify our distribution channels.
Improving CommunicationLeadership in Culture has changed hands multiple times since the start of the term, with all of those ministers bringing something different to the table. However, it is clear that a full-term minister is needed to harness the collective efforts of the staff, plan enjoyable events for the community, and ultimately fulfill the purpose of the ministry. Culture is an area in which we do have a lot of creative potential, but we need an uninterrupted term to build the consistency and foundations to unlock it. In addition to the ideas I am about to go over, that should be our top priority.
Expanding On Weekly Events
Weekly events need to be maintained and organized on a consistent basis. These are the bread and butter of what Culture does, and means we have something regular to offer to our community. However, I do believe there is potential for a more diverse offering of events. Discord can allow for many types of games, which also gives us opportunities to host events with other regions. Gameside promotion of weekly events, as well as smaller activities, should also be a priority, possibly with a public calendar of events put in place.
Smaller, Interregional Activities
Reaching out to other communities to host more interregional activities, even if it is just a one day event, is really important for our unity and morale. The recent success of the interregional chess arena with the West Pacific shows we can do this successfully, but it’s not just about reaching out to our allies for events, it is about creating an environment where more of us can be involved in the brainstorming and planning stages for these activities. I imagine we all have ideas for events we’d personally like to see and I think it is down to Culture to make those a reality.
We Need More Festivals
Putting together smaller events is always fun, but it’s been some time since we did anything really big. The logistics and planning of festivals can be time-consuming, but absolutely worth it. For most of last term, Culture did the absolute most it could with the ever-changing leadership, but with good ideas and a consistent team in charge, I believe the ministry can do so much more. A festival or two, or three, should definitely be on the to-do list. I absolutely envision one with The Wellspring and Carcassonne, who are likely to be our next treaty allies. Beyond that, we have so many opportunities for larger events, but staff engagement within the ministry must extend further than Music Mondays and Theme Thursdays.
World Assembly Affairs
The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs continues to prove itself as one of the most consistent executive bodies in our government. Without fail, it produces high quality IFVs, manages dozens of different voting and discussion threads, and hosts some of the most prolific WA authors in the entire game. So how can it be improved?
World Assembly Acceleration Program
The World Assembly Acceleration Program stagnated from May onwards last term, but I do believe it is one of the ways in which the ministry can look to improve. Aside from the regular IFV writing, voting threads, and other ministerial ongoings, encouraging staff to approach mentors about ideas, even if they don’t immediately succeed, is going to be something that needs exploring further. A possible expansion of the leadership core could aid in this, with more deputies appointed to address specific areas of the ministry.
Heroes of Valhalla
The Heroes of Valhalla program has already done a brilliant job in creating opportunities for existing SC authors to work on new projects and do great research, but I believe there will still be plenty of TNPers who we should be looking at drafting commendations for. We just need to dedicate some time to deciding which candidate commendations would be the most realistic to pursue, and work towards getting as many of them done as we can throughout the term. Europeia, for example, have especially capitalized on the HoV program and successfully passed many commendations of their own, so it should be the aim of our WA ministry to explore multiple potential proposals and see them through.
High-Quality Administration
Regular administration of the ministry should remain as consistent as it has been over the last few terms, primarily due to outstanding former or current ministers and deputies such as Magecastle, Simone Republic, and Chipoli. The production and publication of IFVs should remain a mainstay of ministerial activity, as well as promptly creating voting and discussion threads on the forums. There aren’t many faults or ideas for improvement here because WAA has practically reached full efficiency when it comes to its already existing responsibilities.
Staff Mentorship Expansions
The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs has recently undergone improvements to mentorship within the staff, and it's clear the extent to which training can be effective in resolution writing is similar to that of Foreign Affairs. As useful as guides can be, the best teacher in this arena is experience. Those who write more IFVs, for example, will develop an understanding over time about what makes a proposal worth support. Those who draft more on the forums will eventually learn the complicated ruleset of GenSec, proposal legality, and extant body of legislation. So in this context, I believe mentorship should take more of an understudy format, where writers or members of staff who show interest and promise are given the opportunity to help draft the proposals of more the distinguished authors who would like to serve as mentors. This way, exposure to the open, choppy ocean of the World Assembly will feel more like a smooth, informative cruise, instead of a battle against a storm. This will inspire confidence in those mentees to take on their own drafts and ideas, and ultimately support the next generation of WA authors in The North Pacific.
Home Affairs
Trident Recruitment Strategy
It is clear almost five months on from the launch of the Frontier/Strongholds update that frontier communities are here to stay, they mean business, and will continue to grow. It was predicted that our regional population would fall, and it has, but I feel the potential remedies have not been implemented to full effect just yet. We’re still without API recruitment, which stopped working with the technological collapse, and we’re still without a primary manual recruitment initiative. This needs to change. One of my top priorities will be implementing those systems as early on as possible so we can maximize our long term benefits throughout the term and stop relying on our declining spawn rates for new citizens and residents. The final system we can use is stamps, but without yet knowing how much or how little our quantity of stamps has changed since the beginning of last term, I think those first two systems should be our priority. Stamps, however, can and should still be used for recruitment if and when they are donated to us and we have enough to justify it.
Improved Incentives
Home Affairs may struggle to expand its staff ranks if its rewards schemes are not also expanded in parallel, so it will be a priority to introduce those rewards: trading cards and badges primarily. However, something similar to Culture and Theme Thursday rewards should be considered, where more productive members of staff get to change the regional banner, or the ministers flag, for a week. These sorts of ideas are going to make the difference next term, and it is important we know how we’re going to recognize staff for what can be repetitive work. Home Affairs is the backbone of the region, in my opinion, and it's more important than ever that staff feel rewarded for helping out.
Gameside Engagement
Gameside engagement stays as crucial as it always has been. Our use of the gameside advocates will be multifaceted as we take on challenges in HA recruitment, advertisement of the NPA (potentially in wartime) and the executive, RMB moderation, cultural activities, and more. In addition to this, our mentors must continue to aid those who make the jump from gameside to the forums and seek pathways into the citizenry and the executive. These are some of the most important teams in the entire executive, yet they remain relatively small and unnoticed compared to others. Supporting the emergence of new generations of players and leaders in our region is a collective effort, but more people could be getting involved.
Communications
Communications has seen a reawakening this term, coming back from dissolution and reaching new heights. The team I assembled throughout the term and handed the ministry over to following my resignation have been absolutely faultless, but we need to continue the great work we’ve been doing and most importantly make it possible for Communications to continue operating into the future sustainably.
A Better Behind-the-Scenes
The ministry will return to full administrative capacity. One of my key goals in the reestablishment of Communications was setting up a behind the scenes process for tracking the progress of the ministry and the staff. I set up a detailed spreadsheet including the term calendar, current staff roster, publication progress, and CR points tracking sheet. This system fueled a majority of our successes in the first half of the term as we saw several editions of TNS released to the highest quality. I am going to make sure this system is explained to deputies and the Communications leadership team in the hopes it can aid planning, administration, and tracking into future terms.
Collectivizing Design Efforts
A new, collaborative design team will be created. One of the hardest obstacles for any iteration of Communications over the years has been design, especially in regards to The Northern Light publication. In my time as Minister, I worked hard to make sure there were sustainable templates for in-game dispatches using BBCode, but for TNS, TNL, and NBS, a more collaborative approach is required. We have some great designers amongst us and I imagine working together on designs would only expedite the process. I personally designed three editions of TNS, but I don’t think that is sustainable and the process needs to be shared so we can pass on the torch. I plan to do this primarily through Canva, a free online graphic design tool, which I used for all of the issues of TNS and will continue using so I can share what I have learnt with the design team. I am also open to inviting alternative resources or softwares into the process if a specific designer is accustomed to it specifically.
On From the Radio Resurgence
Our broadcasting team will build upon the incredible resurgence in radio we made last term. Multiple shows were recorded, edited, and released throughout the term, while consistent and new panelists offered their thoughts and opinions on the important matters, but there is always room for improvement. The editing process is still quite slow, with shows not released until a considerable time after they are recorded, so this will be a point of focus. Additionally, poor scheduling of recordings seems to impact our output, but coordinating across varying time zones will always prove tricky. The best we can do is make use of resources like Doodle polls, or schedule shows further ahead in time. As much as I admire the tenacity of Robespierre, and sincerely hope he can continue to host shows, I would like to see more panelists lead shows as well so the experience can be passed down to future ministers and deputies. I am interested in exploring alternative forms of content, such as short form, educational, and regional guide content that can be distributed region-wide as a parallel to written dispatches or shorter guides. And finally, I’d like to see through Ruben’s effort to port our broadcasts across to Spotify in chronological order so we can further diversify our distribution channels.
In terms of the creative productivity of the ministry, we have the capacity to continue putting out high quality media. We have a team of great writers who are interested in researching, drafting, and editing articles, but communication still needs to improve. If you wrote for Communications under my ministership last term you’ll know I reached out about article progress quite a bit, but especially for TNL, it could have been more regular and more collaborative. This is going to be more important for things like The Northern Notes, which I would definitely want to see continue as a more regular form of regional update on smaller items of news that would not feature in TNS or TNL.
Continuing the Rewards System
The ministry rewards system will also continue! Using the CR points system, or another system if better ideas come forward, I want to keep affirming staff that they are appreciated for their work. I will make good on my promise to distribute the CR points earned as bank value for cards, so do not worry, if you did anything under Communications this term you will still be rewarded. I most likely will discontinue the staff members of the week awards, as I feel those were a little too regular for any real recognition, but the monthly and end of term awards ceremonies should absolutely continue.
Technology
The failure of most of our critical technological infrastructure remains one of the biggest problems we face as a region today. The tools we relied upon for so long, and have been the root of most of our successes in World Assembly growth, endorsement counts, and streamlined executive processes, are still inoperational. I intend to take a realistic and measured approach to putting together plans to find the fixes we desperately need, so we can coordinate our efforts and understand the connections between the various resources, starting with the most basic steps. I know it is possible for us to return to what we had, and there are key individuals within our ranks who possess the rigor and knowledge to lead the effort. These individuals will be crucial to our success in bringing back these technologies, but consistent dialogue is required. The reason our technology was so vulnerable in the past is because it was solely hosted and run by one person, without whom that infrastructure collapsed. If we can create a collaborative system, where varying degrees of expertise are combined to form a more solid network of understanding, we move one step closer to getting those systems back.
Conclusion
I understand these next few months are going to be just as tough, if not tougher, than in recent memory, but I believe I have the determination needed to put the right plans in place and get them done. Success is always easier said than done, and it takes time for an entire community to feel the effects, but with a sense of realism about the challenges ahead and the same, unwavering ambition that runs throughout us all, we will get there. I've called this region my home for over seven years, and served in many of the positions you are all in right now, and I'm extremely proud that this incredible community exists. But, it is in times like these, when lots of things feel uncertain, and the waves of NationStates roll tall above our heads, all we need to do is shine the onward light.
Thank you for reading my campaign! If you have any questions, I would love to answer them.
p.s If you want to show support for the campaign, I'd massively appreciate if you put the following badge in your signature!
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