ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Juanita Toledo knows what it's like to grow up in a household where alcohol was abused, but with the help of a national organization for American Indian youths she has chosen a different path for herself.

Toledo, 23, of Jemez Pueblo in northern New Mexico is presiding as one of two co-presidents over a national five-day conference in Albuquerque that started Friday. Nearly 1,000 Indian youths from across the country are gathering at the United National Indian Tribal Youth Inc., or UNITY, conference, organizers say.

UNITY, an Oklahoma City-based organization, promotes personal development, citizenship and leadership among American Indian and Alaska Native youth. It has 150 affiliated youth councils in 35 states.

Members of the group who were surveyed in February said drug and alcohol abuse topped their list of concerns for their generation. Other concerns included teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, obesity, dropout rates and cultural preservation.

Toledo said she witnessed physical and verbal abuse while growing up and saw two of her uncles die from liver trouble.

"That's one thing that kept me from drinking was just seeing my uncles, what they had become, what alcohol did to them," she said.

But having the support of UNITY also helped. Toledo stood in front of thousands of young people and pledged to live a positive lifestyle, free of alcohol or illegal drugs.

"I sat in front of these people and I took the oath," she said. "I lived what I said I was going to do."

Layha Spoonhunter, 19, of Ethete on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming said the conference in Albuquerque is the third he's attended.

Spoonhunter of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes said UNITY's role models have helped him stand up to those who have tried to get him to drink alcohol when he attended an off-reservation school.

"There was a lot of peer pressure. There was a lot of stereotypes that occurred, that every Indian drinks, but you have to find a way to prove them wrong that not every Indian drinks," he said.

The conference is packed with motivational messages, team-building exercises, workshops, chances for cultural exchange, sports and fitness activities and a career fair. And youths from New York to Alaska will put on their tribal dress for a ceremonial dance today.

Spoonhunter said one part of the conference that he enjoys is a ceremonial fire that is lit at the start of the gathering and will be tended throughout the conference.

"The fire is a unique thing. It brings all of us together. You can go out to the fire, there will be people singing, people telling stories and people just talking. The fire helps people really get together," he said.

Both Spoonhunter and Toledo say UNITY has helped them become more outspoken and realize that they can be advocates for social change and role models for younger tribal members.

Youths attending the conference will be challenged to come up with solutions to prevent alcohol and drug abuse and take those ideas back home and share them with their tribes.

Toledo said digital graphic design could be used to create images that would inspire youths not to drink or take narcotics. She also thinks public service announcements or challenges to youths to give up drinking for a week at a time could help.

Toledo said President Barack Obama's message of change is reaching the reservations.

Youths are tired of the same old systems and want to bring up fresher ideas, and now she thinks tribal elders are becoming increasingly open to hearing how the next generation would solve problems.

"A lot of the leaders now they want to look to the youth. They want to hear from us," she said. "That's a change in Native America - the youth are being listened to now."