About 4Next7
Mission Statement:
4Next7 is an Indigenous and youth-led organization which stands with respect for the past seven generations and hope for the next seven generations.
Discussion Meetings
Discussion meetings provide space for community members to discuss and share their unique ideas on local issues and policies.
Topics are shared in advance and participants are asked to take time at the beginning of the discussion to agree upon shared community guidelines for the discussion.
Discussion Meetings provide community members the opportunity to discuss complex topics. Discussion meetings are also at the heart of 4Next7's strategy-making and long-term planning.
Projects
& Initiatives
4Next7 members and leaders discuss challenges present in our community through participation in discussion meetings and talking circles. Following discussion, members and leaders often identify solutions to challenges in the form of Projects and Initiatives.
4Next7 records these solutions in the form of Project Overview Documents. Individuals may access and review all 4Next7 project overview documents in order to learn more about the history of the specific challenge as well as all resources and solutions which have been identified.
Interested individuals and organizations may apply to fund a specific 4Next7 Project or Initiative through completing a Funder Interest Form. All interested funders must meet 4Next7 funder requirements and receive approval from the 4Next7 Elder Council.
Talking
Circles
4Next7 frequently hosts Talking Circles and invites members of the community to join us and share their lived experiences and perspectives. 4Next7 hosted Talking Circles generally focus on a single topic and participants are provided the opportunity to share their story at breadth and without interruption.
Topics are shared in advance and participants are asked to respect a set of DRAFT Guidelines while participating in the Talking Circle.
4Next7 has spent the past four years identifying existing talking circle protocols being put to use in our community. Check out the 4Next7 DRAFT Talking Circle Community Guidelines / Protocols Document to learn more.
Community
Meetings
During Community Meetings 4Next7 invites members to join us at a creek (Spring/Summer) or around a fire (Fall/Winter) for recreational activities including traditional and non-traditional crafts and games.
We know the spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and social health of our community is sacred. Community Meetings help us to strengthen emotional tools, skills, and strengths which have always existed in our communities.
Public Demonstrations
4Next7 organizes safe and intentional opportunities for members of our community to engage in public demonstrations when meaningful and visible representation is required.
In the past opportunities to participate in public demonstrations have looked like attendance at the Tahlequah July 2025 No Kings Rally and Marching to the Cherokee County Courthouse following the last Roe V. Wade Decision.
To learn more about 4Next7 Public Demonstrations, check out our Public Demonstrations Community Guidelines Document here as well as a list of previous public demonstrations we have hosted on our Events Page.
Free
Events
4Next7 hosts free Indigenous centered events open to everyone, including non-Indigenous folks. Free events and programs provide community members the opportunity to share space, food, crafts, entertainment, and community.
A community gathered around ancient and sacred values of wellness, mindfulness, gratitude, self-care, sobriety, respect, and balance. Through continually growing a healthy interconnected community we seek to increase our happiness, connectedness, and quality of life.
Knowledge and Learning
4Next7 believes knowledge does not exist to be owned or hoarded - its exists to be shared and grown. 4Next7 aims to gather valuable information and resources here on our website in order to both preserve them as well as to make them accessible to the public at no charge.
Information and resources which can be found on this website include: Original 4Next7 Documents (Press Releases, Position Papers, and Infographics), Archived Documents from other organizations (Non-Profit Organizations, Student Organizations, Tribal Governments, Etc.), and contemporary resources of utility to the community (Assistance Programs, Scholarships, Etc.)
“In Iroquois society, leaders are encouraged to remember seven generations in the past and consider seven generations in the future when making decisions that affect the people”
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller