The Golden Eagles Program emphasizes each of these three skills areas through a three-tiered focus encompassing academic success, strong identity and self respect, and healthy lifestyles. In the academic success program , youth learn self discipline and goal setting, begin to respect learning and have a better outlook on education on how it can contribute to their self-esteem. Cultural awareness is behind the strong self-esteem and self respect focus of the program. Participants are taught traditional American Indian culture and spiritual values and how to apply those values to everyday life in order to realize their place in the world and in society.
Healthy lifestyles is the program's third focus.
To promote healthy lifestyles, the program teaches youth the impact alcohol has had on American Indian people and begins to offer youth ways in which to live a life free of chemicals and alcohol. In addition, the healthy lifestyles focus teaches youth how to practice responsible sexuality and how to live healthy, disease-free lives by stressing physical fitness, healthy food, and good hygiene. The Golden Eagles Program integrates all three focuses as much as possible in its activities and services. For example, living chemical free lifestyles is taught by explaining to members the traditional use of tobacco and how, traditionally, tobacco is used as purification. It is an approach which leading researchers in the education field have identified as working particularly well within American Indian culture, and it is an area at the forefront of today's educational methodology.