I can probably think of three things that worked for me. One was that my stepdad, a traditional first nations man, came to my home at an early age. I grew up going to the sweat lodge regularly and practising our traditional values. He started speaking Cree in our home. That really helped me be proud of who I was and not ashamed. A common discussion in my home growing up was residential schools and the effects of those experiences on both my stepdad and my mom. They weren't in the schools directly, but it got passed down through generations. It still affects my siblings and I and everyone in my family today. So it was the education on that.
Of course, as I said before, there was the setting of goals for myself, both attainable goals and those that seemed completely unattainable at the time. I think that's one of the biggest issues I see with a lot of young first nations people. No one ever told me that I couldn't be successful. No one ever told that I couldn't be a doctor, a lawyer, or a business owner, but they might as well have: teachers, community members, church, police officers, everyone.
I think I would stress the importance of goal setting, however crazy that might seem, and inspiring young people to set those goals and to try, as hard as it sometimes gets, to block out all the noise. I would tell them to set those goals and do whatever they can to get there. A lot of things tend to work themselves out.