The Cherokee Leadership Development initiative supports lifelong, culture-based learning that gives members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opportunities to develop strong leadership abilities and to serve successfully in leadership roles. The goal of the youth and adult leadership programs is to produce generations of strong Cherokee leaders who draw on tribal culture and values.

Four principal cultural attractions bring thousands of visitors to Cherokee, NC, each year – the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual, the Oconaluftee Indian Village, and “Unto These Hills,” a play that retells the Trail of Tears and explains how the ancestors of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians managed to avoid the forced removal.