In collaboration with The Wilderness Society, Cherokee Central Schools, and the EBCI Natural Resources Department, The Center for Native Health has initiated planning for an Indigenous Youth Conservation Program on the Qualla Boundary. This initiative is made possible through the generous support of First Nations Development Institute's Stewarding Native Lands Program. This program aims to bolster Native ecological stewardship and enhance community control over ancestral lands and resources, fostering the sustainable, economic, spiritual, and cultural well-being of Native communities.

The Center for Native Health and partners have established the Cherokee Youth Conservation Club (YCC) by engaging students from Cherokee Central Schools interested in exploring their ancestral landscape. Throughout the school year, the YCC held bi-monthly meetings and organized unique activities and excursions.

For their 2025 spring break, the YCC embarked on a special trip to Purchase Knob. Guided by an Elder, they participated in traditional sochan harvesting on National Park Service land and heard stories of past harvests.  Later, the club cooked the sochan and shared a wonderful meal prepared by the NIAWA women. The feast included sochan, fried potatoes, bean bread, and three sisters soup. A joyful atmosphere and much laughter filled the day.

The YCC has a vibrant lineup of summer activities including decorative bee box painting, community gardening, bird banding, tubing, and hiking. For further details about the program, reach out to Katie Tiger, Program Director, through the contact form on the Land & Wellness page, here.