*We come to you because you are a leader in your field, and youth who hope to enter your field will want to know about you and your vision for the future. *We believe your participation in and support of Galaxy Explorers can be a great asset in your accomplishing your mission in that it gives you the opportunity to have a direct hand in raising the next generation of professionals who will take your place. It is part of “Growing our Own.” *You are known as a leader who does indeed lead- that is why we come to you.

*We come to you because you are a leader in your field, and youth who hope to enter your field will want to know about you and your vision for the future. *We believe your participation in and support of Galaxy Explorers can be a great asset in your accomplishing your mission in that it gives you the opportunity to have a direct hand in raising the next generation of professionals who will take your place. It is part of “Growing our Own.” *You are known as a leader who does indeed lead- that is why we come to you.

*These are some of the problems we face in building a foundation for a sustainable future. They include education, exploration and research, government policy to support employment, and maintaining a public positive view of the future.

*Few in the population today know how government works, and feel they have no impact. They therefore do not participate in governing the country. Voting rates are shamefully low. *Knowledge of this country’s accomplishments are not well-known in the current school generation, nor is respect for these accomplishments and the country that made them possible. What is taught well is largely found outside of the public schools.

*Our educational system and leaders are not doing a good job of producing the engineers, mathematicians, and scientists we need for the future. We are already importing large numbers of foreign experts. *Experts cannot advance knowledge without funding. Funding comes from corporate and government investment capital. Neither is available unless business and investment are robust, and there is a large tax base. *Funding must be available for world-class facilities on the leading edge of the unknown, and these are expensive.

*We are running low on many key natural resources, including minerals, energy, and water. We must find fresh sources on Earth or in orbit, as well as enhance conservation and substitution of resources. * Industry requires cheap common materials to substitute for expensive imported materials, such as silicon fiber optics substituting for copper wires.

*We are exporting many high-paying production jobs and replacing them with low-paying service jobs. This results in a smaller tax base and a negative attitude toward business, government, and the future. *Low pay reduces a person’s ability to save and invest. Low investment capital hurts the entire country. *A broad knowledge base gives us the potential to maintain knowledge. A small knowledge base erodes quickly as professionals retire. *Free enterprise is an ideal. However, free enterprise with competition from low wages abroad forces businesses to export jobs. Wise government policies are needed to maintain a balance between trade and employment.

*Without public participation in government, training our own experts, obtaining more resources, and employing our people, the public outlook for the future will be bleak.

*The youth of today must be taught how to think independently and critically, not just become vessels for others’ slogans and theories. Only then can they grasp the day, carpe diem, and forge a positive future for themselves and their children. *Youth must learn to stand against nay-sayers, yet still understand their own fragile position as learners who do not yet know all the questions, much less all the answers.

*Planning for the future should not just include one’s own life, but future generations. Most of us will know our grandchildren. We are responsible for providing them with a good world of opportunity. *If an individual merely learns, then teaches what was learned, his/her time is not being used to the fullest. Learn on the edge of what is known, and push the edge. The fringe is where the future is found. *Every individual at all ages is a role model for good or ill. Others around them will emulate them. This self-awareness of responsibility should be cultured at an early age.

*Most kids have no idea how much information is available for free or little cost. A few letters t companies and agencies returns a wealth of materials they can share with their Mission Team peers. *Kids should also be aware that their desires are actively sought by companies, because the companies know that they influence their parents’ choices of consumption. Companies and agencies will welcome letters from them. *Professionals also welcome a youngster who comes to his/her office and asks: “What do you do?” Professionals will all say that few people, young or adult, ever come from outside and ask that question. It is very flattering, and gives the professional a chance to personally influence the future of that youth and the country. *Youngsters can do many things on their own, and this should be actively encouraged by adult leaders and their parents.

*You can help influence the future of your company or agency, and of this country, by helping to pass on to youth the points we have just covered. This is a chance for you to do something special, practical, and meaningful. *Your impact can be far greater if you encourage personnel in your company or agency to participate in Galaxy Explorers, and provide incentives and recognition for their efforts. You can enhance the impact by providing a reasonable support for them perhaps in the form of copier use, meeting rooms, roundtable discussions, office computer use after working hours, or other facilities within the parameters of your organizational mission accomplishment needs and allowable by law and organizational regulations. * Thank you very much for your time and attention. I am eager to answer any questions you may have, to hear your ideas on how the program can be improved, and how Galaxy Explorers might enhance the mission of your organization.