EVE Awareness Circles

The EVE Awareness circles are a group of women increasing their own environmental awareness through the EVE Project and are working toward project implementation in their communities as leaders and teachers.  As they work through issues of trauma, culture, and environmental concerns, they will provide guidance in how best to introduce and present environmental information to at-risk communities including assisting in the project’s two major seminars.  This core group of women will take their learning out into their community networks to continue the education process with others.  Membership in the circles will continue to increase. 

The EVE Awareness Circles or “Know Better/Do Better Sessions”:

• Help participants understand the trauma associated with food/product use and the unique black historical experience.
• Bring about awareness and make the connections that culturally induced food rituals, i.e. “soul food,” requires the African-American community to ignore.
• Honor the historical EVE as the first mother /teacher who provided nurturing to her loved ones, incorporating the African concept of “sankofa” (”go back and fetch it,”) encouraging study and understanding of African/African-American environmental history.
• Formation of cohesive groups through spiritual connections that honors family rituals, non-condemnation of family food /product choices, and celebration of foremothers’ survival tactics: “doing the best they could with what they knew.”
• Utilization of journaling to process information, note challenges, opportunities, share recipes, track ideas, contacts, etc.
• Discussions about the consequences of choices and movement toward changing behavior that reflects what is observed and known.
• Use of radio to inform, connect women to each other and engage the community in discussions with women.
• Gatherings of the EVE Awareness Circles would include “Peace Meals,” vegetarian or vegan dishes that expose women to alternative food choices, demonstrate methods of preparation and provide opportunities to share recipes/stories.Practice eating for spiritual health and social harmony.
• Gatherings of the EVE Awareness Circles will include learning about local community gardening efforts.
• EVE Awareness Circles’ Women will help with the Project’s curriculum development to be passed on and further developed by the “next generation” of participants.
• EVE Awareness Circles’ Women will recruit other women to become circle participants.