Gifts from the Elders

About the Book

Gifts from the Elders renews womanhood's legacy by opening women's circles to support girls growing into womanhood. With a focus on play and nature, women's circles will provide girls with tools for confidence and competence, the ingredients for self-esteem. By weaving women's circles with community building and relationship training girls will acquire mastery, generosity, and independence while they pirouette in the safety of women.

When women form circles around girls, eight to eighteen and meet regularly, they will participate in the most ancient and rewarding legacy of women. Rites of Passage for girls need to be offered by women in every neighborhood around the country. Recovered as part of womanhood's heritage, initiation celebrations can eliminate a host of adolescent risks. We can learn from our native elders that adolescence is the special time in girls' development to create a strong foundation for the rest of their lives. When a secure network of women supports each girl, she can master nature skills and safely explore her developing mind, body, and spirit. Our legacy for womanhood can be re-created by encircling girls with playful mentors and a safe place to explore all of emergent facets within a backdrop of nature training.

About the Author

In the middle of her life, Gail Burkett returned to school for an academic perspective on adolescence. For her doctorate from the Union Institute, she chose two paths―women?s studies and nature studies. In Gifts from the Elders, she rekindles the ancient, womanhood legacy for Rites of Passage and women?s circles for girls from eight to eighteen. Gail is now building a national network of women and girls circles.