THE EVENTUAL GOAL OF ASGARDIA IS FOR OUR CITIZENS TO LIVE AND WORK BEYOND EARTH. HOWEVER, EACH ASGARDIAN REMAINS A MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY HERE ON OUR HOME WORLD. AS SUCH, ALL ASGARDIANS ARE IMPACTED BY MANMADE AND NATURAL EVENTS THAT MAY CHALLENGE OUR SENSE OF SHARED COMMUNITY AND POSE RISKS TO OUR FELLOW CITIZENS. IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENGAGE WITH OTHER NATIONS ON EARTH, ENSURING THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF ALL ASGARDIANS ACROSS THE GLOBE. DISCUSSIONS INVOLVING SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL POLICY, SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION, AND SECURITY WILL ALL BE NECESSARY.

WHAT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED IS THE IMPORTANCE OF MEETING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. IT IS WITHIN THIS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FIELD THAT I INTEND TO OFFER ASGARDIA MY SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE AS A PRACTICING MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN. IN ADDITION TO MY CLINICAL WORK, I AM A TRAINED SUPPORT RESPONDER (SECOND RESPONDER) FOR DISASTER RELIEF AND HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS. IF WE ARE TO HAVE A HEALTHY SOCIETY, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS OF OUR CITIZENS ARE ADDRESSED, INCLUDING THE IMPACT FROM MANMADE AND NATURAL EVENTS ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING OF ASGARDIANS AROUND THE GLOBE.

I CHALLENGE MY FELLOW MENTAL HEALTH THERAPISTS, COUNSELORS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND PSYCHIATRISTS TO MAKE SURE OUR INPUT IS COUNTED AND OUR VOICES ARE HEARD IN EVERY RELEVANT COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE. I INTEND TO TOSS MY HAT INTO THE RING, AS IT WERE, AND RUN FOR ONE OF THE POSITIONS UP FOR ELECTION. IT IS A LONG SHOT BUT IT IS WORTH A TRY.

At the founding of a new government, we have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of our predecessors, and implement better systems. In that vein, I would like to propose that we implement Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for all future referendums and elections. RCV systems provide results that are more representative of the community, without silencing minority voices. A good description of RCV can be found here: http://www.fairvote.org/rcv#rcvbenefits .

The eventual goal of Asgardia is for our citizens to live and work beyond Earth. However, each Asgardian remains a member of the global community here on our home world. As such, all Asgardians are impacted by manmade and natural events that may challenge our sense of shared community and pose risks to our fellow citizens. It is our responsibility to engage with other nations on Earth, ensuring the health and welfare of all Asgardians across the globe. Discussions involving social and financial policy, scientific collaboration, and security will all be necessary.

What is often overlooked is the importance of meeting the psychological needs of our community. It is within this critically important field that I intend to offer Asgardia my skills and knowledge as a practicing mental health clinician. In addition to my clinical work, I am a trained support responder (second responder) for disaster relief and humanitarian efforts. If we are to have a healthy society, it is extremely important that the psychological needs of our citizens are addressed, including the impact from manmade and natural events on the psychological wellbeing of Asgardians around the globe.

I challenge my fellow mental health therapists, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists to make sure our input is counted and our voices are heard in every relevant council and committee. I intend to toss my hat into the ring, as it were, and run for one of the positions up for election. It is a long shot but it is worth a try.

Hello to all present (and future) Asgardians! I'd like to officially announce my candidacy for a leadership position in our beautiful Space Nation!

My entire life has been spent staring up at the vast night sky, wishing I could some day be part of it. I'll never forget my first trip to a planetarium as a child, learning about the planets and constellations (Orion is my favorite!), as it fully engrossed me into the want for exploration. I often find myself staring up, into space, envisioning myself out there.

I originally went to college for Aerospace Engineering; I was fully intent on doing everything in my power to become an astronaut. However, I felt a calling towards another career path; that of  an Attorney. I graduated law school in 2012, and have since spent my time developing and honing my management, speaking, and writing skills. I've spent the last few years trying to figure out how I could use my skill set to best represent the interests of everyone around me. I feel as though our government has not and is not representing the people. I've been looking for a chance to dedicate myself to the furthering of human achievement, social progress, and protection of basic interests.

THIS is the opportunity I have been waiting for. To combine my love and curiosity of space, with my skills and knowledge of law, would be a dream come true. This is the opportunity to finally cause change; to help citizens, to write law, to impact future society.

I humbly come to ask for your vote. I want to represent YOU! I want to further human achievement within our Space Nation, while also protecting the interests of all Asgardians! This could turn into the greatest achievement of humankind, and we are the tip of the spear. We are all pioneers, and we will all need protections, laws, and someone to look out for our best interests.

I am that person. I hereby make the promise to always listen to all opinions and wants, to make decisions that benefit all and further our adventurous progress, and of course, protect all Asgardians as we create and begin a legacy that will live on for centuries to come.

My name is Matthew Jones, and I thank you for your consideration.

To the future of Asgardia!

This is a question I'm sure many on the outside of this bold and  ambitious project will ask.  Well, it's simple.  Look at the state of  our world today where a world that is slowly, but surely becoming  smaller as our technological prowess increase is still divided by race,  nation-state, religion and political nonsense.  Asgardia is that bridge  to a better future not for one nation nor one group of people, but for  ALL human beings.  The human race needs to be unified in order to  progress towards a better future.  Every person you see is your brother  and sister.  We all originated from the same mother: the earth.  We need  to remember that and move forward and that is exactly what Asgardia is  doing for our species: moving forward.

I just joined, but I'm actually surprised that there wasn't a job description/skills section on the application. I'm a mechanical engineer, so I could help plan just about any mission. But why don't you guys put job description/skills section on the application. If the number of applications is limited wouldn't we as a nation want to know what skills our citizens have? It would help better understand our nation as a whole. Like are we going to be a nation of mainly futurist engineers, etc. Just a thought