Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council applications available

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation is accepting applications for all 15 Tribal Youth Council seats for 2014-15.

“The future of the Cherokee Nation begins today, and it begins with young people like those who serve on the Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “It’s important to cultivate leadership from a young age, and I look forward to the seating of this next council.”

The Cherokee Nation’s Tribal Youth Council advises the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council on issues that affect youth. Selected students will attend Cherokee Nation Tribal Council meetings and help with community service projects.

The new members will be comprised of eight students from the southern half of Cherokee Nation’s 14-county jurisdiction, which includes Cherokee, Adair, Sequoyah and portions of Muskogee, Wagoner and McIntosh counties.

Seven members will be accepted from the northern districts of the Cherokee Nation jurisdiction, including in Delaware, Mayes, Craig, Nowata, Washington, Ottawa, Rogers and Tulsa counties.

Applications must be mailed only and postmarked by Sept. 26. Applications can be downloaded at www.cherokee.org/youthcouncil.

Students will serve a one-year term. Interested students must submit a profile, write an essay on the importance of tribal sovereignty, submit three letters of recommendation and other criteria. A committee will make the selections.

“This is the 25th anniversary of the Tribal Youth Council’s creation and a great time to see young Cherokee leaders more active in the tribe and their tribal communities,” said Tribal Youth Council sponsor Lisa Trice-Turtle. “Students who are selected will learn more about Cherokee culture, history, language and how to be a voice for all Cherokee youth.”

Trice-Turtle, a founding member of the youth council in 1989, said this upcoming year’s youth council will determine how the group will operate in the future.

The 15-member body will review bylaws and determine projects.

“This is a program that’s near and dear to my heart, and I want to see it be successful,” Trice-Turtle said. “It’s a vehicle to teach leadership and provide students with enough opportunities to enhance their leadership skills.”

To apply for Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council, students must meet the following criteria:

Be 15-22 years old on Oct. 13, 2014

Be a Cherokee Nation citizen

Have a permanent address inside the Cherokee Nation’s 14-county jurisdiction

Have a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale

For more information, call Trice-Turtle at 918-453-5000 ext. 4991.