The
Cherokee Preservation Foundation began exploring
the field of leadership with the goal of assisting
the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in preparing
for a better future for its members and the
larger community. The challenges that face
the Eastern Cherokee people today and in the
future will require strong and capable leaders
in many fields of endeavor.
Cherokee leaders
must be nurtured and developed from within
the tribal community. These leaders
must not only possess the requisite skills
of modern leadership, but they must also be
steeped in the culture, values and traditions
of the Cherokee people.
CPFdn is working on
a Cherokee cultural Leadership Initiative that
focuses on developing programs
that will help Cherokee people develop leadership
skills. This cultural Leadership Initiative
will produce a selfless, giving generation
that is grounded in traditional Cherokee cultural
values. The formation of the Cherokee Youth
Council (CYC) was the first step toward engaging
young people in the development of cultural
and traditional values.
Modeled after the traditional
Cherokee Grand Council government in which
every tribal member,
from the youngest to the oldest, had a voice
in tribal matters, the CYC allows Cherokee
youth to once again be involved in addressing
issues that directly affect them. The CYC provides
an atmosphere for youth to voice their opinions
on issues that matter to them and creates the
opportunity for them to develop leadership
skills. Through facilitating and leading their
own meetings, the CYC has taken over a recycling
program and made it their own, participated
in a national UNITY conference for Native American
youth, and successfully created organizational
structure.
The Cherokee Leadership Initiative
is also creating leadership opportunities through
CPFdn
programs such as the Cherokee Youth Leadership
Advisory Group, a cultural exchange program
in which Cherokee Youth engage in an eco-study
tour in Costa Rica involving
EARTH University, and the Cherokee
Day of Caring.
The Cherokee Leadership Initiative will continue
to support life-long, culture-based learning
that gives tribal members opportunities to
develop strong leadership abilities and serve
successfully in leadership roles.
CPFdn has
studied a number of leadership program approaches
and programs that currently exist
in Indian Country, North Carolina and across
the nation. However, none of these programs
focused on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ core
cultural values. Short descriptions of the
researched leadership programs may be useful
to others and are available at the links below:
