What is Kava? Your Kava Kove Primer

What is Kava?

Kava is an acquired taste. It is described as a slight bitter "earthy" taste. Brett Erpelding, Kava Kove’s CEO said “On the first of our many exploratory trips to Florida and California to learn more about Kava I had several 'Mocktails' using kava in place of alcohol and absolutely loved them. However when I drank my first shell (just straight kava tea), I thought that is definitely going to be an acquired taste – and sure enough, on all future trips, all I purchased and drank were shells!

Where does Kava come from?

The kava plant is native to the Pacific Islands region. It is cultivated across the islands but is most prominent in Fiji, Hawaii, Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, and Tonga. While it does grow in Tonga, it cannot grow in New Zealand as the climate is slightly too cold for it.

Kava Culture

Kava is very important to many Pacific Island cultures as part of ceremonies, gatherings, and celebrations—for this reason, some countries have used images of Kava on their currency or on postage stamps. Most notably, Wallis and Futuna had a stamp design in 1995 that showed an image of the Kava plant and the island of Samoa has a picture of a man preparing kava on their two-tala [dollar] bill.

In Fiji, Kava is the national drink and is still used regularly. Typically, you can see kava being consumed at different ceremonies, gatherings, and celebrations. At a traditional Fijian Kava ceremony, or Sevusevu, the Kava is prepared at the beginning of the ceremony and the first person to take a drink from the bowl will be the Chief or most senior person in the group. Each person must clap three times after taking a drink, often cheering “Bula!” before drinking. Bula is a Fijian expression that roughly translates as a toast or wish of health and happiness. If an important visitor comes, a Kava ceremony is typically conducted. In 2018 on an official trip, Prince Harry and Meghan Markel shared kava with the Fijians.

Kava also makes a great gift! In Fiji tradition, if a son upsets his father, he can repair relations by gifting his father Kava. In another tradition, any visitor coming into a village must bring a gift of Kava to the Chief. It is also often a gift at weddings, funerals, and different “rite of passage” celebrations.

What does Kava do?

Kava provides feelings of relaxation, without being psychoactive. Kava can also help reduce pain sensations and could help protect neurons from damage. It is often used as an alternative to alcohol due to the fact that it provides the “loosened up” feeling that alcohol can give without the dangers that alcohol can cause. The way kava works is by introducing kavalactones into your body. Kavalactones have been found to reduce convulsions, promote sleep, and relax muscles in animals. An effective dose of Kava, according to experts, is a kavalactone content of 70-250mg. When purchasing Kava products, it is extremely important to find products that list the kavalactone content. You will also want to know if your Kava is noble or non-noble which we will discuss later in the article.

Safety Precautions

While Kava is natural and an alcohol alternative, there are some safety precautions you should follow when consuming Kava.

•Kava should never be mixed with alcohol or any sedatives. This can cause unsafe interactions.

• You should always consult a physician before using

Kava, especially if you take any medications such as benzodiazepines and/or antidepressants or if you have any existing medical conditions such as liver disease or Parkinson’s.

•If you plan to have surgery, stop consuming kava for at least two weeks before your surgery as Kava can increase the duration of surgical anesthesia.

•You should not use Kava if you are nursing, pregnant, or under the age of 18.

•Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how kava affects you.

• A potential risk of a rare, but severe, liver injury may be associated with consuming Kava (Required by ND DPHHS)

•Most adverse effects that people experience when using Kava are due to overconsumption with low tolerance.

U.S. Use

Kava is popular in coastal states such as Florida and California, but what about the upper Midwest? That’s where we come in. At Kava Kove, we are bringing a taste of Fiji to Fargo with this natural alcohol alternative. Our owners have a strong passion for harm reduction and have seen and experienced the struggles of alcohol dependence from many angles. Trips to Florida helped build and enforce this passion by introducing them to the Kava bar concept. Kava Bars are abundant in Florida, it’s even known as the Kava Capital of the U.S., but they are essentially non existent in our region. The closest dedicated Kava bar is in Chicago, so we decided it was time to change that.

203 people have died in alcoholrelated vehicle crashes in North Dakota in the past five years. Underage and unsafe alcohol consumption is a large issue in the upper Midwest, as is impaired driving. Harm reduction saves lives and shows the needed compassion toward those in addiction and recovery. Kava Kove will provide the social piece that many people who are striving to get sober miss out on. Bars can provide a great community feel, but if you are working on reducing or eliminating your alcohol consumption, having the temptation of alcohol while it is easily accessible can make it harder to stay on path.

The Kava bar will provide a cozy, community-focused atmosphere where you can go to play board games with friends or meet new people at the bar. We have taken the Fijian aesthetic into account while designing the interior. We have a gorgeous hand-painted mural of Fiji behind the bar to make sure you feel like you’re on a tropical vacation without all the hassle of travel! We are extremely fortunate that our Kava Kove Supervisor, Anthony Prasad (featured in previous editions), came to work for us. Anthony’s parents were born in Fiji, and he is the first generation of his family to be born in the United States. He has been around Kava his whole life and has an extensive knowledge of Kava. Anthony is helping us in our journey to educate and excite the community about Kava and the benefits that it brings. While we currently only have our downtown Fargo location, our goal is to expand this one location into several Kava bars around the Upper Midwest in order to share our love and passion for Kava and wellness in general.

This beautiful mural and decor inside Kava Kove will have you feeling like you are on a tropical vacation!

Geneva

icture this. One day, you're scrolling through Instagram.

You see the typical Feed; your past high school prom date had a baby shower, your old coworker went on a tropical vacation, the same old, same old. Switch to Stories; your cousin is traveling abroad to study her minor in French— wait, is that a chocolate croissant? You think how tasty that sounds right now and wonder where to get one at... Oh, look, that guy who was in your Intro to Business course in college is hiking somewhere, "wow that's a nice view" you think. I mean, it's no Grand Canyon, but you're sure there are some good hiking spots around here somewhere... Switch to your Explore Page. After watching yet another "restock my cleaning supplies with me" ASMR video, you're thinking how you can't do this mundane scrolling much longer… And then you see it. Something colorful and familiar catches your eye—is that the Fargo Theatre sign? It is, and you're looking at the words "A Morning in Downtown Fargo" and—oh my god, it's a chocolate croissant, from Nichole's Fine Pastry & Café. Duh, of course, they have that treat. You're just thinking "Why didn't I think of that" when you click on the page that the post is from and catch the words "Best Hiking Spots in the Area" and you squealed out loud a little bit. Next thing you know, you're eating chocolate croissants at Buffalo River State Park. Through some fateful follow of a follower of a suggested follow, CampusFM's post made it to your screen, and you can profit off its seriously cool content—but, wait a minute, what is this?

If you've seen @campus.fm pop up on your feed, you've probably wondered the same thing.

Short explanation, CampusFM is a workforce retention initiative run by Folkways aimed at persuading students to launch their careers in the FM+ area. Its social accounts serve as a local resource for all things food, events, classes, shopping, and more in the metro, run by students or recent college graduates, as a way to immerse the students in the community and show off all that our cities have to offer.

Long explanation... well, keep reading!

North Dakota currently has over 26,000 open jobs. By promoting student engagement and participation in the area, and hopefully a blossoming passion for the community, CampusFM aims to change that.

"CampusFM is focused on nurturing a sense of community among students in the FM+ area, which will inspire them to lay the groundwork for their careers post-graduation. It aims to bridge the gap for students who feel detached and unsure about their life after graduation," said Simone Wai, Programs Director at Folkways. "Our goal is to ignite a passion for the FM+ area, offering students a sense of purpose and belonging."

CampusFM was initially funded by Fueling our Future towards the end of 2019, with Dayna Del Val of The Arts Partnership at the helm. The project's foundation was shaped by a collaboration of community leaders, such as the GFMEDC, FMWF Chamber of Commerce, Tri-College, and many more. By the winter of 2021, Folkways assumed a full-time lead role in this initiative.

As a prominent community-building force in the area, Folkways has successfully attracted almost half a million attendees to their events over the past eight years. This track record validates their capacity to unify people in the FM area. But, while it's clear why Folkways—an experienced community-building organization—would spearhead a project like this, the question remains: how exactly do they plan to implement it?

To understand what exactly CampusFM is, you'd have to take a look at its online presence.

"Through our innovative programs, local research, and dynamic social media presence we showcase the vast array of opportunities and experiences available in the area–equipping students with the necessary tools and resources to pursue their career aspirations," Simone said. "We believe that in order to build a successful future postgraduation, students must be connected with their community beyond their campus."

To foster that connection between person and community, CampusFM offers Content Creatorships—a 10-week social media content development internship—to local students every semester. These creatorships serve as an adaptable learning opportunity for those students to immerse themselves in the community; live it, explore it, share it, and— reiterating the organization's goal—stay to pursue their careers long after their time with CampusFM.

"CampusFM Creators curate and produce content for students, by students in the FargoMoorhead area—helping heir peers connect to the community all while learning the ins and outs of running strategic social media accounts," Simone said.

Creators participate in an immersive curriculum, which enlists community experts to teach the art of creating captivating digital stories. After absorbing each lesson, students are expected to put their fresh skills into practice, creating stories that reflect our local community, businesses, and events.

"During their creatorship, they attend weekly sessions taught by social media professionals. Our creators try new restaurants, attend events, and check out local haunts as the faces of CampusFM."

One of the real perks of this opportunity is that every student adds their unique touch. So, while these creators have specific tasks to fulfill, the places or events they highlight are chosen by them, reflecting their interests and passions," Simone explained.

"We've found that the most effective way to engage with students is through their friends and on the platforms they're already using, in a language that resonates with them. We encourage our content creators to feature events and spots that they're genuinely excited about and want to share with their fellow students."

"At Folkways we're all about community belonging," Simone explained, "and CampusFM is how we extend that to students. We promote content created by students, for students. Our mission is to build a supportive student community, equipping them with the right tools to achieve their goals. We believe that by nurturing an inclusive environment, we're setting students up for success in their future careers."

According to CampusFM's website, these are the Focus Areas:

Communicate

"We develop pipelines to communicate with students where they are–in both the digital and real world."

Connect

"We strive to connect students with peers, mentors, internships, and professional opportunities."

Research

"We want to understand students through local surveys alongside state and national data."

Collaborate

"We are building an ecosystem that connects students to business and highereducation communities."

Educate

"We create opportunities for student interns and content creators to develop professional skills and get connected in the community."

Jesus is from Brownsville, TX, he first moved to Moorhead for college and soon after became infatuated with Fargo. He has since been exploring everything the FM area has to offer. He greatly enjoys his time downtown and can be spotted at the Night Bazaar, Red River Market, and strolling up and down Broadway. He is looking forward to meeting new friends and creating a stronger sense of community alongside the CampusFM team!

Kylie is from Rochester, MN. She came to Fargo in 2021 to start her education at NDSU and fell in love with the community and culture Fargo has to offer. Kylie is active in her school's PRSSA club and wildlife society. She spends her free time exploring local coffee shops, working part-time at a dog daycare, and spending time with her cat (Marble) and bearded dragon (Beardy). Kylie is excited to meet new people and be a part of creating an involved community through CampusFM.

Maddie is originally from Oakes, ND and fell in love with Fargo-Moorhead area because of its community and diversity. She is active with her jobs as a waitress and on-campus job and enjoys her free time in the sun and with her cat Rebel. She looks forward to learning all the ins and outs of Fargo-Moorhead with CampusFM.

Mal was born and raised in Moorhead, MN, and has been living and working in downtown Fargo since 2020. She loves her two cats Wesley and Aspyn, and one day dreams of opening her own cat cafe. Her favorite part of Fargo is that she never feels like a stranger anywhere she goes, and it seems like everyone she meets is only one circle away from each other. She is excited to join the CampusFM team to showcase Fargo’s vibrant atmosphere!

While this content may be produced by students and dons the name "campus," it is a wonderful and engaging resource for anyone who wants to venture into the FM community—and we know there are countless opportunities to do so.

Follow along with these creators this summer and see what new adventures you can explore in the community! Learn more about the CampusFM initiative at campus-fm.org

@campus.fm @campusfm