I will be in Japan at this time.

This is entirely encompassed within the "Research" node. I have researched the politics of American education reform to an extent, but I still need to do more research on where funding comes and goes per faction, and I also need to gather more concrete statistics, which will then decorate the homepage of the website and also be put on media, including web posts and business cards.

Of course, the website is already created, but there are still several features I need to add. These include Google sign-in and profile creation, a comment section feature on articles, and a member search feature. While it is not strictly part of the "website creation," there are quite a few core videos and articles that I want to create so as to clarify my positions on certain issues, provide further details on the issues of education in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, and elaborate on what a civic education system might look like. The homepage will be finished and will be very enticing to those who stumble upon it.

Even while the website is still a work-in-progress, I can (and will) print out at least 1000 business cards, each with a QR-code and a link to the website in addition to a call to action. Furthermore, I will soon begin to post on social media such as Instagram, X, Bluesky, and Facebook with short notes based on my research as well as links to new videos, articles, music, etc. It is possible, though unlikely, for me to get involved in online political drama and gain an audience, in which case I would presumably be bickering with the people who almost but not quite "get it," i.e. self-proclaimed "revolutionaries" who have fallen for communist propaganda, radical feminists who hold certain untenably dogmatic views on human sexuality, online atheists and religious apologists, utilitarian philosophers, vegans, etc.

There are five kinds of events in which I (and maybe you) will be participating at some point: special events (such as festivals), regular group events (such as Meetup group events), protests, open-mic stand-up events, and music events. Because the music subplot is so complex, it will be addressed in-depth in the next section.

Special events happen at particular times around the year and tend to have large amounts of people present in the same place at the same time. That, plus the fact that people who attend these events are generally looking for opportunities to have fun and socialize, makes these kinds of events particularly opportune for finding other people who may be interested in joining the movement. On the other hand, the vast majority of the atendees will be either outright hedonists or families, neither of whom will be at all interested in the political life.

Major events in my local area that I may be attending include: Pride Parade, Pride Fest, Lincoln Park Mayfest, Do Division Street Fest, Bud Billiken Parade, Fiesta del Sol, Chicago Chinatown Summer Fair, Sundays on State, Jeff Fest, Lincoln Square Apple Fest, and New Orleans North Festival. Other events, some of which are more-or-less regular, include park events (such as those in the Chicago Park District) and farmers markets (including Green City Market, South Loop Farmers Market, Logan Square Farmers Market, and Maxwell Street Market).

Regular group events are frequent, and the participants all share a common interest. There aren't explicit hedonists at these groups unless the group's theme is something specifically self-indulgent, but, of course, the members are hardly ever particularly political, either (the exception being volunteering events, which may have explicitly political themes).

The Meetup groups that I have already been a part of are Chicago Speaks Japanese! and Chinese/English Language Corner, and I plan to eventually attend other language groups for the Korean language (INT'L CAFE Chicago and/or The Chicago Korean Language Meetup Group). Another group, Chicago Creative Collaborators, might be worth visiting to find other creative artists, and Chicago Anime Hangouts might maybe have some people interested in creating manga, or at least reading mine if I ever do create it (they also have volunteer food packing events, interestingly). For volunteering in particular, it's hard to find opportunities (that are relevant to my fields of interest, at least) which don't require a long-term commitment. My Block My Hood My City has one-time events every so often, which involve community volunteering. The Coppin Community Center has regular and irregular volunteer events, and the Chicago Cares website provides a consistently updated list of all kinds of volunteering events in the city.

Protests are, in theory, the most ideal events of them all, since they gather together large amounts of people who are all interested in an explicitly political issue. One downside, however, is that they are relatively infrequent and unpredictable. The other downside is that many protests deal with issues that are irrelevant to the protest at hand; in particular, there have been innumerable Free Palestine protests, none of which has led to any political organization into Israel in order to bring about an atheist movement (which would be the only viable long-term solution). On the plus side, there is currently a convenient controversy that has riled many people up: Trump's heavy-handed authority. This is especially good news because Trump had meddled with the Department of Education, meaning there is a direct link from anti-Trump protests to a centralized education reform initiative.

Finally, open-mic stand-up comedy has the advantage of being a performance; the performer is able to decide the topic AND exude charisma. My own comedy will generally have something to do with education and will, in any case, always be relevant to some or another political issue. The environment in a comedy event is, frankly, about as far from ideal as possible. Often, these events are held in bars, where people get drunk and foolish. The audience is likely to be comprised almost entirely of hedonists, unfortunately. On the other hand, since each person performs, it can be easy to spot someone with creativity, talent, or just raw energy, and that person may be worth getting to know.

BONUS: There may be some opportunity at theatrical events such as improv sessions.

The music subplot has four stages: music creation, solo open-mic performance, open-mic band performance, and live events. Though I call it a "subplot," this element of the roadmap may very well be one of the most important given its potential to reach a large, invested audience. Technically, this could actually be considered a part of the Comic Book Subplot since most of the music I will be writing will be soundtrack for the comic book, but the music will nevertheless be able to stand alone.

There are three main categories of music I will be composing: the soundtrack composed by the character Dove, which is neoromantic/post-romantic piano and rock-style political protest music against Japanese society and education; the soundtrack composed by "The Six Gentlemen," the K-Hip Hop boy band whom Osprey stans and who writes political protest music against Korean society; and standalone hip hop music protesting against American society and education. Dove's compositions are primarily comprised of themes for each of the four main characters (Dove, Pheasant, Raven, and Osprey). However, she also arranges several works by composers such as Schumann and Scriabin for rock band, writing lyrics critical of neoliberal society. The Six Gentlemen have two published albums mentioned in the comic book: the self-titled album and "Six Persimmons." Because the leader of the group is half Korean and half Chinese, many of the songs cover topics related to both Korean and Chinese history, and most of them end up being critical of the Korean government, save for the occasional historical love song (e.g., "You Split My Heart into Three Kingdoms"). I will only be writing a few hip hop songs that are separate from the comic book soundtrack. I am currently just about finished with the piano composition of Dove's theme, and the full rock version will be completed soon. I have also already composed the first three-or-so minutes of Pheasant's theme, plus fragments of other pieces.

In the beginning, I won't have a band; therefore, if I want to perform for the public, I will have to do so as a solo singer/songwriter piano-vocalist. Because I first compose the music for piano solo, arranging a piano + vocal version is very straightforward. However, my compositional style is rather complex (romantic/post-romantic), so each piece may take me quite a while to learn. In any case, local places that have music open-mics in which I may participate include Bally Doyle, Chicago Street Pub, Ashbary Coffee House, Espresso Palette, Cuzin's Tavern, Uptown Tap & Eatery, ROXY Lockport, Jonny Cab's, BaseCamp Pub, Gallery Cabaret, and Logan Vegan.

My opportunities for forming a band are lacking, to say the least. Nevertheless, I can use bandmix.com or bandfinder.com on the Internet, and I can also meet potential bandmates in person, especially at open-mics. I will need a pianist (if not me), one or two guitarists, a drummer, and a bassist. The band will perform rock-style (if it ever comes into being). The rock arrangements are not particularly difficult to compose, but they do take some time. If I get a band together to perform my rock arrangements, we will begin by performing at open-mics just as I would have done before. If we manage to make an impression (which is quite likely, at least over time), we could start performing at live gigs for larger-scale events and venues. Local music bars and live venues include Subterranean, The Studio, QBar Darien, North & Maple Kitchen + Bar, Thirsty Beaver, Pollyanna Social, Jamo's Live, WXYZ Lounge, 115 Bourbon Street, the PIAZZA, Bottles, The Forge, The Silverroom, Reggies, Beat Kitchen, the Hideout, Gman Tavern, Uncommon Ground, and The Little Owl Social Pub.

The comic book subplot will be heavily influenced by whether or not I go to Japan (where I could expect a market for paperback copies of the manga). If I stay in the United States, then it is likely that the comic will remain only a webcomic, though physical printing is not out of the question. Ideally, I would find people who would be willing to be voice actors for the characters in the story, in which case I could also make a video version of the comic series, which would be particularly beneficial since I could also much more naturally implement the soundtrack into the comic (otherwise, I'd have to rely on disjointed mp3 files).

The comic book will be called "Dropout" (Japanese 不登校 futoko) and is, basically, a story about the problems in Japanese education and the reform effort needed to solve these problems. Though the story takes place in Japan, most of the themes are also relevant to problems in the United States and Korea. Besides issues in neoliberal education, the story deals with bullying, child abuse, Western philosophy, Eastern and Western history, Christian theology, feminism, prostitution, gender/sexuality, and lobbying and advocacy.

The comic has four main characters: Dove, Pheasant, Raven, and Osprey. Dove is a polymath pianist and dissident intellectual who composes the soundtrack and starts an education reform movement; before this, she is bullied in school and is unable to meet the expectations of Japanese society. Pheasant is a Japanese (Protestant) Christian who plays drums at her church; she is also a talented visual artist and poet who eventually learns web development and helps Dove with online branding and offline graphic design. Raven is a victim of child abuse and drops out of school, and after running away from home she falls into prostitution and drug addiction; despite her struggles, she becomes a guitarist and singer/songwriter as well as an eventual activist for the rights of children. Osprey is bold and athletic (and a talented singer) but pursues mainstream ideals of success to her own ruin; forced to question her ways of living, she ultimately becomes an entrepreneur and helps revive a depopulated rural town.

I can try to find an artist or team of artists willing to make the comic book, but chances are that I will have to make it myself, which I will do by combining 2D and 3D art (I can do 3D modeling, which does not require me to internalize the human form in all poses in all directions). The full story will probably make up 8 books, with 6-or-so chapters per book. Even if I speed up the process significantly using 3D, It might still be that I produce no more than one chapter per month, meaning there will be about two books published per year by the time I start illustrating; however, it is possible that I could reach a rate of almost one chapter a week if I maximally speed up the process and spend some extra time drawing every day. I will not begin the illustration process until at least after 2027, before which I will be creating 3D assets and practicing 2D art. However, by that time most, if not all, of the story will be written out as a script. If it so happens that I am unable to make the comic book, I will just publish the story as an online literary drama with occasional illustration.

By the end of 2026, I will decide whether or not to become an English teacher in Japan and start the Japanese campaign. This decision will be based on how well the previous phases will seem to have performed in growing an audience, or at least in providing pathways to grow a large audience in the near future. For example, if I have a band that is at this point able to perform at relatively notable events (with the seeming possibility of eventually reaching enough fame to perform at fairly major events), or I have substantial press coverage, or I have a sizeable following on social media, or I have a promising pathway into lobbying state government, then I may very well remain in the United States. I don't have much hope for any of these circumstances, however, especially within such a short timespan, so it is likely that I will end up in Japan.

If I do end up in Japan, this could result in one of two things: the American movement ceases with my absence, or I find another American to take my place in leading the American campaign. If I have some sort of respectable following by this point, the latter seems quite possible (especially if I am able to form a strong team). Otherwise, I'll give Japan a go and leave the American movement behind.

Even if I do decide to go to Japan, I will be actively trying to figure out whether there will be a political future for me in that country. If, by the end of my first year, I find that I haven't gotten anywhere, or that I seriously overestimated the opportunities to make political connections, or that the people of Japan are just too conservative, then it is quite likely that I will return to the United States and resume my efforts there.

Of course, Korea still isn't out of the question; I just currently have no expectations whatsoever for that country.

Soon, people will be able to log into the website and enter themselves into a member search. Before this, people who want to join the movement can join the Facebook group or Discord server, or they can just message me directly. Presumably, at some point there will be a substantial amount of people who have at least some interest in the movement, even if just tangentially (e.g., the music, comic book, etc.), at which point organizing may be possible.

In addition to reaching to potential members through my media or through personal relationships, in the organization phase I will try to explicitly reach out to (education and social justice) nonprofits, online education reform groups, and members of teachers unions. Before doing so, I will need to create a fact sheet that briefly covers what the problem is, what the potential solutions are, and how those solutions can be reached. This will quickly make prospective members aware of exactly why they should join or in some other way support the movement. (At this point, there will also be ample content on the website giving a thorough idea of my vision for a civic pedagogy).

The most important aspect of the organization phase is building a core team. This team will be working closely with me to strategize and advocate for the movement. The aforementioned band would constitute one part of the central team, as well as any artists and voice actors who work with me to make the comic series. Other team members might include artists who help make visuals and marketing material. These things make up the advocacy role of the team. The strategy role has three parts: the development of a civic curriculum, the creation of a civic pedagogy book(let), and the making of a long-term plan for a lobbying campaign.

Developing the civic curriculum will (hopefully) take several people, first, so that I don't have tyrannical control over what becomes the recommended curriculum, and second, so that we can come up with curricula for subjects about which I lack knowledge (for example, high-level mathematics, most fields of science, the histories of countries and peoples outside of my focus). Even in fields in which I am more familiar, it would still be extremely helpful to have other people be a part of the process of making curricula because there may be important details that I miss, either out of ignorance or simply because they didn't come to mind. Curricula includes units, lesson plans, possible progression paths, and electives.

In addition to curricula, a detailed explanation of the civic pedagogy will be necessary for an eventual lobbying movement (or even mere social movement within circles of teachers). The first chapter of the book(let) on our civic pedagogy will describe the abstract ideas and ideals of the civic approach as well as issues within the current system and how they may be solved or relaxed by civic education reform. Most of the book(let), however, will be a practical guide to civic education methodology, or the way in which the teacher actually teaches the classroom. The chapters will (probably) be separated by subject (math, reading, science X/Y/Z, civics, history, art, physical education, sex ed, etc.); the beginning of each chapter will provide a broad outline for how the subject should be approached in the classroom, with room for various interpretations depending on the preference of the teacher. After this general guide, each chapter will provide multiple working examples as case studies for how a civic pedagogy might look, as well as how it might vary depending on grade level.

Finally, the lobbying plan will consider who are the relevant representatives at the state and national level, what nonprofits and other groups may be interested in collaborating in the lobbying effort, where funding may come from if necessary (to pay for means of advocacy or to pay for professionals), how we might reach teachers unions and/or school boards, who our opposition will be, what our schedule will look like, etc. It will also have to take into consideration the potential of whatever following we have amassed through advocacy.

To "organize" is a vague idea in itself. There will be two primary activities that members will work on during the organization phase. First is advocacy/marketing. Each member has opportunities to advocate for the movement, which could be as simple as posting and sharing Civic Education Reform content on the Internet, or it could be more thorough, such as distributing business cards and flyers or advocating through the arts. The second is lobbying, which will be explained below. (By the way, a national social movement is technically possible and would have outrageous impact on the political state of affairs, but it would be primarily the result of extraordinary luck in our favor, even granting the previously-discussed methods for gaining popularity.)

In a simple sense, the lobbying phase will merely be the concrete implementation of what will have become the lobbying plan. It will have to start with influencing teachers unions, getting the intentions and benefits of civic education reform across so that union leaders and other members can start promoting the ideas of the movement as well as the movement itself. Through teachers unions (as well as personal connections with individual teachers), it may be possible to speak to school boards about changes in curricula or teacher discussions on new methodologies (though there is a very real possibility of ideological conflict). However,the school boards will inevitably be constrained by state standards.

The bulk of the actual lobbying will therefore have to take place in state government. State representatives can be persuaded by a fact sheet, which may also include anecdotes and case studies; in addition, it is possible that we can rally support from the masses to encourage representatives to take the prospect of civic education reform seriously. New legislation proposed by representatives will be constructed from the ideas presented in the pedagogy book(let) and the civic curriculum. Learning standards, which constitute the primary restriction on what can or cannot be taught in the classroom, would rely primarily on the civic curriculum, though some of the details on grade-level proficiency will likely be derived from concepts and examples provided by the pedagogy book(let). Mass-produced material, such as packets for units and lessons that teachers or school districts may use for instruction, may then be altered by their producers, who will be influenced by changing standards and by new ideas propogating within the sphere of education. It might even be possible to influence the way teachers themselves are educated and trained so that they may be more suited to a civic pedagogy.

There isn't exactly much to do with the national government other than to promote the idea of civic reform so that other states start to implement these ideas in their own systems. Lobbying efforts in other states will most likely be powered by members of the movement who organize in their own states, following our general strategical ideas and using our informational materials to persuade their own representatives.