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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - On a sunny Saturday afternoon, as more than 100 toddlers to teens sat inside the Ndilo gym with their relatives, one question was top-of-mind for present Dene community leaders: What do these kids want?

Quenton Mackenzie, 7, gets his face painted as a superhero at Ndilo's "Celebration of Life" youth conference on Saturday. - Katie May/NNSL photo

In response to several youth suicides in the Yellowknife area within the past year, the Yellowknives Dene First Nations band council held its first annual youth conference, a "Celebration of Life," to answer that question.

Motivational speakers including Vancouver-based actors Alana Lamalice and Colin Van Loon, as well as prairie dancers Sheldon Yamkovi and Shyama-Priya, urged the kids to stay away from drugs and alcohol and to believe in themselves.

Fifteen-year-old Jay-Lene Delorme, who was helping out at the conference earning volunteer hours, said Lamalice's announcement of her seven years of sobriety was particularly inspiring.

"I've only been able to go 60 days of sobriety," said Delorme, who recently finished alcoholism treatment in Calgary. "She must've had it really hard ... I think I just need to try harder."

Anastassia Mackenzie, who attended the conference with her seven-year-old son Quenton, said she was glad to see young people involved with something positive instead of with the "not-so-good things" that happen on the streets.

Her son was too young to fully understand the speakers' stories, Mackenzie said, but listening to them was good for her, too.

"For me to be here listening to these people and what they've gone through, it makes me think - OK, maybe I can do better for myself and be a better person and do better for my kids."

Prior to the start of children's workshops, which included topics such as making healthy choices, elders supporting youth and powwow dancing, the youth representative of NWT took the stage to remind her peers they each have a purpose in life.

Kiera Dawn Kolson, born and raised in Yellowknife, travels across the country as a motivational speaker and singer for young people.

"I'm doing what I love, and you can too," she told the kids. "Just because we come from a small place doesn't mean our expectations for ourselves have to be small."

The band council spent $10,000 and one month organizing the conference, the first in what the council hopes will become a series of youth workshops.

Councillor Roy Erasmus said depending on the kids' input, the conference may result in the formation of a youth council with a small budget for young people to make their own decisions in the community.

"We're trying to show the youth that the sky is the limit," Erasmus said.

"It was partially because of the suicides, but also the band has been wanting to do something for the youth for a long time."

Ndilo chief Fred Sangris said a lot of the kids at the workshop were friends with one of the community's most recent suicide victims.

"It really affected the community," Sangris said. "As a leader I feel we have the responsibility to work with our future, youth, and figure out what they want."

The band council has another youth conference planned for next summer.