New Low German Mennonite supports now available in the County of Forty Mile

Photo subnmitted by Susie Heinrichs Ruben Hiebert and Susie Heinrichs co-host "Horch Mal HierÓ for Low German Mennonites.

Submitted by Susie Heinrichs

Submitted by Susie Heinrichs
“Horch Mal Hier” is a phrase that I have recently be shouting a lot. It basically means, “Listen Up!” in Low German.
My name is Susie Heinrichs and I work for the Forty Mile Regional Family and Community Support Services.
My colleague, Ruben Hiebert and I, are the co-hosts of a YouTube channel and video project that brings information about local events, practices, policies, and/or laws to our Low German Mennonite community in a fun, personal, and culturally relevant way. It started as a way to communicate accurate COVID-19 related information in their own language. However, it has now morphed into a very useful and fun informational YouTube channel. Considering the percentage of our community that is Low German Mennonite, it is crucial that we provide translation services and other supports like the one mentioned above to become a fully inclusive community. The goal is to communicate accurate information through a medium that will actually reach and engage our people to encourage engagement and participation in the community through good citizenship practices. Thus, having translators on hand to help answer questions regarding things like legal traveling documents or housing agreements and having a medium where general information, especially regarding public crises such as COVID-19, is readily available in their first language is our first step towards our goal of becoming a more supportive and unified community. These supports would not have been possible without the financial support from the Alberta Government through their FCSS program supports as well as local partnerships between municipalities and FCSS programming. For more information regarding our Low German Mennonite and Cultural support services, please call 403.545.2200 and visit our YouTube channel, “Horch Mal Hier,” or our Facebook Page @Forty Mile Regional FCSS.

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