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During my previous term as Thane of Embassies in addition to negotiating various trying diplomatic difficulties I have worked to develop a training program for our ambassadors. I promised to create that program in my last campaign and after deep contemplation I am happy to say that it has been developed. More than that it has reached the testing stage! As we speak candidates for testing are being sought from amongst our ambassadors and the executive government. I'm highly confident that if elected the program will certainly finish testing and officially roll out. Our ambassadors will soon have full access to the means required to become Thanes and Jarls of Foreign Affairs, if they wish to make that journey and acquire that knowledge.

Additionally, in conjunction with Ruguo, the Jarl of Culture I worked as the Foreign Affairs Ministry's liason to The Rejected Realms and Forest during the months of planning that went into developing The Forwintrr League, the pokemon-themed event between our three regions.

My primary focus however will be The Ambassador Training Program. This program (if successful) will open Foreign Affairs to everyone. For all of NationStates history Foreign Affairs has been a narrow and closed off field that was exclusive to a select group of players, veterans that have sought to control the narrative by controlling access to such positions and as a result it has become the norm. It is here however where things will change. It is here where the doors will fly open and free access to information will triumph! Wintreath is an engine of innovation and change, and we stand to make a landmark change in NationStates. This change has long been my vision for Foreign Affairs. Vote for me. Help change Foreign Affairs for the better!

I approve of the campaign and wish you luck. 

How will your ambassador training program open the doors to everyone?

Oh wait, the Forwintrr League was co-hosted by Wintreath?

There was one small Discord ping which I skimmed and paid very little attention to, and literally zero promotion on the forums. Is there a reason for why this was the case?

How will your ambassador training program open the doors to everyone?

The paradox of reaching a leadership position in the field of Foreign Affairs throughout NationStates is that while the position of course requires experience, nobody has done anything to allow access to the possibility of gaining experience thus new additions to the Foreign Affairs offices have been exclusively restricted to those selected by veteran players.

The Ambassador Training Program will allow players to gain experience in the field without the risk of putting someone unqualified in charge of the Foreign Affairs Ministry or any of its offices. Using scenarios devised to teach our ambassadors the intricacies and necessities of diplomacy, they'll be prepared to handle themselves while the ambassadors of our peers throughout NationStates will be stuck fulfilling the role of a glorified postal worker.

Oh wait, the Forwintrr League was co-hosted by Wintreath?

There was one small Discord ping which I skimmed and paid very little attention to, and literally zero promotion on the forums. Is there a reason for why this was the case?

The event was largely advertised in-game. There was also a promotional CYOA story ran via poll across all three regions prior to the beginning of it.

Makes sense and I do have a desire to get involved myself possibly. I like your ideas.

Oh wait, the Forwintrr League was co-hosted by Wintreath?

There was one small Discord ping which I skimmed and paid very little attention to, and literally zero promotion on the forums. Is there a reason for why this was the case?

The event was largely advertised in-game. There was also a promotional CYOA story ran via poll across all three regions prior to the beginning of it.

Now I'm aware of that, after searching for mentions of it across Wintreath, but it's well-known that the various Wintrean communities are not well-integrated. Was there a reason why only one part of the community was approached for this event? Like, I was more aware of events held solely by other communities, like Forest's photo contest, than this one, because they promoted those across more platforms.

(Edit: I guess this is more a question for Ruguo and the Cabinet as a whole, though, not you.)

How will your ambassador training program open the doors to everyone?

The paradox of reaching a leadership position in the field of Foreign Affairs throughout NationStates is that while the position of course requires experience, nobody has done anything to allow access to the possibility of gaining experience thus new additions to the Foreign Affairs offices have been exclusively restricted to those selected by veteran players.

The Ambassador Training Program will allow players to gain experience in the field without the risk of putting someone unqualified in charge of the Foreign Affairs Ministry or any of its offices. Using scenarios devised to teach our ambassadors the intricacies and necessities of diplomacy, they'll be prepared to handle themselves while the ambassadors of our peers throughout NationStates will be stuck fulfilling the role of a glorified postal worker.

I agree that the gap between ambassador and FA work is traditionally large, and only by gradually being more and more looped into those discussions during my time as a Thane did I become more aware of those goings-ons.

How is this training program supposed to actually prepare ambassadors for FA work? I suppose I'm wondering how you think your proposed method here will help bridge the gap.

Now I'm aware of that, after searching for mentions of it across Wintreath, but it's well-known that the various Wintrean communities are not well-integrated. Was there a reason why only one part of the community was approached for this event? Like, I was more aware of events held solely by other communities, like Forest's photo contest, than this one, because they promoted those across more platforms.

(Edit: I guess this is more a question for Ruguo and the Cabinet as a whole, though, not you.)

I suppose we could have been a bit more aggressive in our advertising. After all our own RMB was saturated with a WW2 RP or something like that which seemed to drown out everything else.

I agree that the gap between ambassador and FA work is traditionally large, and only by gradually being more and more looped into those discussions during my time as a Thane did I become more aware of those goings-ons.

How is this training program supposed to actually prepare ambassadors for FA work? I suppose I'm wondering how you think your proposed method here will help bridge the gap.

The scenarios are conducted between one of our ambassadors and an instructor whom has sufficient experience in Foreign Affairs. They are of course not very rigid in the manner they can be conducted or solved nor is anything held back. They're as real as it gets for a Jarl or Thane of Foreign Affairs, even as real as it gets for our very own Monarch. Ambassadors are thrown right into the muck so they experience exactly what a Foreign Affairs Jarl will encounter. That's how it will bridge the gap.

I agree that the gap between ambassador and FA work is traditionally large, and only by gradually being more and more looped into those discussions during my time as a Thane did I become more aware of those goings-ons.

How is this training program supposed to actually prepare ambassadors for FA work? I suppose I'm wondering how you think your proposed method here will help bridge the gap.

The scenarios are conducted between one of our ambassadors and an instructor whom has sufficient experience in Foreign Affairs. They are of course not very rigid in the manner they can be conducted or solved nor is anything held back. They're as real as it gets for a Jarl or Thane of Foreign Affairs, even as real as it gets for our very own Monarch. Ambassadors are thrown right into the muck so they experience exactly what a Foreign Affairs Jarl will encounter. That's how it will bridge the gap.

To clarify, what do you mean by "real" here? Would these be real ongoing scenarios that they'd help contribute their newcomers' voice to, past real scenarios, or fictional ones?

To clarify, what do you mean by "real" here? Would these be real ongoing scenarios that they'd help contribute their newcomers' voice to, past real scenarios, or fictional ones?

Fictional scenarios based on past real scenarios. Really the only difference is that they are occurring in a controlled environment.

I like this approach. It is very similar to how we train people at my current job. We put them through endless simulations with multiple constructed personalities and guide them on how best to approach each scenario. Each scenario is also not really fictional, as we identify trends to see what's likely to problematic at any given time and then prepare our recruits for it.