Group 5 - Connecting / Outreach to the Community (Protokoll Mary Upman)
Action Plans
- Hold another “Summit on the Future of German in Maryland and the DC/ Metro Region within the next year. Reach out to other organizations and service groups as well as inviting all of the Feb. 26, 2011, participants to attend the follow-up summit.
- Support the Maryland legislative initiative to declare October as “German Heritage Month.” The German Society of Maryland can provide information and resource people for this action plan. No event needs to be organized. This is a matter of writing letters, lending support to this initiative verbally, and attending hearings.
- Help out with the development of the “Super Website” or “Wiki” that was determined to be needed by several other groups. Support whichever person takes on this action plan by compiling appropriate lists, such as a list of churches that conduct services in German.
- Put together an initiative that will strengthen our outreach to community centers, senior centers, libraries, youth groups, and possibly recreational centers. Create a list of AATG Maryland / DC Metro members and others interested in the same goals who would be willing to visit a specific location with a German-related power point presentation, an informative talk, or a “hands-on” activity.
- Lend our support and encouragement to the two members of Group 5 who have concrete plans that they want to carry out:
- Tabea Muenz, Pastor, The United Church (Die Vereinigte Kirche), Washington, DC, offered to organize an event at this church that will be attractive to children and their families in the vicinity of the church. She intends to plan a “Sankt Niklaus” Abend or a similar culturally enriching event. We will help her with this new initiative.
- Dr. Irmgard Wagner, American Goethe Society, will coordinate the 2011 ceremony during which the American Goethe Society will give modest cash awards to selected high school students of German. According to Dr. Wagner, Rüdiger Lentz, Executive Director of the German-American Heritage Museum in Washington, DC, has offered to have the awards ceremony at the museum.
