Generations Advisory Council

Where the wisdom of the past inspires our future.

The Generations Advisory Council brings together Native youth and Tribal elders to foster intergenerational dialogue, preserve cultural values, share knowledge, and address challenges facing our communities.

About the Generations Advisory Council

The Generations Council is the cultural heart of the Northwest American Indian Coalition (NAIC). It brings together youth, elders, and knowledge keepers to ensure that NAIC’s work remains rooted in traditional teachings, intergenerational responsibility, and cultural continuity.

This Council reflects the sacred responsibility to carry forward the wisdom of our ancestors while preparing the next generations to care for our lands, people, and lifeways. Through guidance, mentorship, and community leadership, the Generations Council helps shape NAIC’s programs, policies, and partnerships with cultural integrity at the center.

Our Purpose

  • To uplift and protect cultural knowledge and practices

  • To ensure intergenerational teachings inform NAIC’s decisions and programs

  • To guide NAIC’s work in a culturally respectful and spiritually grounded way

  • To build leadership pathways for Native youth rooted in cultural responsibility

  • To support cultural healing, language revitalization, and ancestral knowledge restoration

Our Role in NAIC

  • Provide cultural guidance to NAIC programs and leadership

  • Advise on land stewardship, cultural site protection, and TEK integration

  • Mentor youth and emerging Native leaders

  • Protect sacred knowledge and teachings

  • Ensure cultural continuity across all NAIC initiatives

Who Serves on the Generations Council

The Generations Council includes:

  • Tribal Elders

  • Cultural Knowledge Holders

  • Language Keepers

  • Youth Representatives

  • Tribal Members with ancestral and cultural ties to the region

Council members serve by invitation, nomination, or community recommendation to ensure the Council reflects the wisdom, balance, and diversity of our people.

Why the Generations Council Matters

In every program NAIC operates — from land protection to disaster preparedness — cultural teachings and ancestral knowledge are central. The Generations Council ensures that these teachings are not only preserved, but actively guide NAIC’s work today and into the future.

This council reflects the strength of our people:
We do not separate our past from our future. The teachings of our ancestors are carried forward through the next generation of caretakers.

Generations Advisory Council Application

Thank you for your interest in the Generations Advisory Council! Please complete the application below to share more about yourself and why you'd like to join. We look forward to learning about you and your passion for preserving cultural values and strengthening our community.