Westarctica Civilian Corps
The Westarctica Civilian Corps is an organization comprised of citizens of Westarctica who are admitted to the Corps regardless of noble status, knighthoods, or other rank. The only consideration is dedication to the nation and a sincere desire to better Westarctica and themselves.
It is headed by the current Commissioner of the Corps, Jessica Barton.
Impetus for creation
The Westarctica Civilian Corps was the brainchild of Duke Jordan of the Bear Peninsula. In his capacity as Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, the Duke was contemplating ways to better engage new citizens while giving them opportunities to take actions that would benefit Westarctica and further advance the national mission of preserving and conserving the environment.
As Westarctica already had a long tradition of recognizing supporters with noble titles and knighthoods, Duke Jordan desired an organization where each individual could gain recognition based on concrete actions, without ranks or classes. At the same time, Grand Duke Travis had been debating new ways to reward common citizens for their actions beyond giving knighthoods and titles. The two ideas merged together to become the Westarctica Civilian Corps.
Activities of the Corps
Members can be rewarded for successful completion of over 17 different approved activities. Each activity has an associated award ribbon, and some of them have multiple levels (denoted with an attached device). Members are also encouraged to try to earn them all (similar to Scouting Merit Badges). These awards can only be earned / worn by members of the Citizen Corps.
List of approved activities / ribbons
Activity | Ribbon | Eligibility |
---|---|---|
Calsahara Expeditionary ribbon | Visit the Westarctican Colony of Calsahara. | |
Civilian Corps Achievement ribbon | Outstanding achievement or meritorious service not of a nature that would otherwise warrant awarding the Civilian Corps Commendation Ribbon. Subsequent awards are worn as 3/16 inch star devices: bronze for the second, silver for the third, gold for the fourth. | |
Civilian Corps Commendation ribbon | Sustained acts of meritorious service. Subsequent awards are worn as Antarctica disk devices: bronze for the second, silver for the third, gold for the fourth. | |
Civilian Corps Service ribbon | Approved for wear by all members of the Westarctica Civilian Corps. | |
Community Outreach ribbon | Make a significant and sustained volunteer contribution in their home nation or local community. | |
Global Campaign Service ribbon | Participate in one of the regular Westarctican global activism campaigns, beginning 1 May 2018. Subsequent campaign participation is recognized with 3/16 inch star devices: bronze for the fifth (5th), silver for the fifteenth (15th), gold for the thirtieth (30th). | |
Iceberg Award ribbon | Participate in an annual Citizen's Day (2 August) Iceberg Challenge. | |
Long Service Ribbon | Members who gained citizenship prior to Grand Duke Travis’ return to Westarctica (2 June 2010) or who have reached the ten (10) year anniversary of their Citizenship. | |
Nobility ribbon | Eligible for wear by all members of the Civilian Corps who are also nobles of Westarctica. | |
Recruiting ribbon | Members who have referred five (5) people who have been accepted as citizens, and joined the Citizens of Westarctica Facebook Group. Subsequent recruitment is recognized with knot devices: bronze for the fifteenth (15th), silver for the thirtieth (30th), gold for the fiftieth (50th). | |
Westarctica Expeditionary ribbon | Visit the physical territory of Westarctica. |
Civilian Corps Commendation Recipients
- Lars Vorländer: Awarded for establishing the Vorländer Scholarship. (12 April 2018)
- C Jordan Farmer: Awarded for service as Commissioner of the Civilian Corps. (22 February 2019)
Civilian Corps Achievement Recipients
- John Chambers: Awarded for winning the recruiting drive competition held in May and June of 2018. (2 July 2018)
- Christian Seitz: Awarded for translating the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Westarctica into German, for fellow Westarcticans to enjoy. (15 July 2018)
- Ariella Warner: Awarded for hosting the Washington, D.C. area Icebreaker event in March 2019. (8 April 2019)
Honored Westarctican Awards
- Main article: Honored Westarctican Awards
As part of the Corps' goal of recognizing citizens for exceptional acts that may not merit a knighthood, the Honored Westarctican Awards were created. These awards can be issued to any Westarctican, even citizens who are not members of the Corps.
List of Honored Westarctican Awards
Approved Ribbons for Non-Corps Awards
The Civilian Corps currently has two approved ribbons that recognize non-Corps achievements. Both of these are currently in recognition of Westarctican Knighthoods.
List of Non-Corps Ribbons
Order | Ribbon | Eligibility |
---|---|---|
Order of the Orca ribbon | Approved for wear by members of the Illustrious Antarctic Order of the Orca. As the order only has one level of distinction, all members have an affixed silver polar star device. | |
Order of the Snowflake ribbon | Approved for wear by members of the Order of the Snowflake. A blank ribbon is worn by those holding the rank of Knight/Dame. Knights/Dames Commander are denoted by an attached bronze Antarctica device. Knights/Dames Grand Cross are denoted by an attached gold Antarctica device. | |
Order of Westarctica ribbon | Approved for wear by members of the Noble Order of Westarctica. As the order only has one level of distinction, all members have an affixed gold crown device. |
Milestone Gifts
In 2019, the Corps announced the Milestone Gift initiative. This program gives Corps members special gifts for each fifth Civilian Corps ribbon earned. For the purpose of this program, ribbons for Orders do not count towards this total, while individual levels of ribbons that have them each count as a unique ribbon.