Warm Welcome
The focus of the work of Embrace Civility LLC is on empowering young people -- empowering them with greater personal power and to be resilient, able to remain calm when things get tough, and happy.
A special focus of our efforts is on young people who are treated badly by peers or adults. We also seek to encourage those who have been hurtful to stop, own it, and fix it and those who witness hurtful situations to step in to help.
What is Be Positively Powerful?
Be Positively Powerful is Embrace Civility LLC's research based approach to support young people (and adults) in becoming more empowered, resilience, able to remain calm when things get tough, and happy. The seven Be Positively Powerful Strategies are set forth on the image.
Books
I have written two books for young people and one book for school leaders. Individuals can purchase these books through Amazon. Schools can purchase through Ingram.
Be Positively Powerful: A Guide for Teens on Achieving Resilience and Empowerment
Purchase this book on Amazon
Engage Students to Embrace Civility
This is a book for school leaders. Purchase this book on Amazon.
Online Courses
These first two courses are for parents. The next courses will be for educators and others who work with youth in out-of-school activities.
Empower Your Child to Be Positively Powerful
This course presents the seven research-based Be Positively Powerful strategies that can increase your child's personal power, resilience, ability to remain calm when things get tough, and happiness.
Empower Your Bullied Child and Insist Your Child's School Stop the Harm
This course includes Empower Your Child to Be Positively Powerful -- which is the critical foundation. The second course addresses how your child can use the Be Positively Powerful strategies in situations where they are being bullied -- or being hurtful or a witness. This course also addresses why what schools are doing is not working and how to document what is happening and approach your child's school to more effectively insist that they stop the harm.
Empower Your Child to Be Positively Powerful: The Ebook
This Ebook provides an introduction to the insight and guidance I offer in both books, in the parent courses, and in future courses for educators and youth workers.
Download this FREE Ebook
Nice to Meet You
I am the director of Embrace Civility LLC. I have a background as a special education teacher of students with emotional challenges and was also an attorney.
I am the author of several older books on digital safety: Cyberbullying and Cyber Threats (2007), Cyber Safe Kids, Cyber Savvy Teens (2007), and Cyber Savvy: Embracing Digital Safety and Civility (2011).
I currently focus on issues of youth who have experienced trauma, are neurodiverse, or have other emotional challenges. I also have worked for over a decade in bullying prevention.
I am the author of Engage Students to Embrace Civility (2022), Be Positively Powerful: Resilient When Things Get Tough (2023), and Be Positively Powerful: A Teen's Guide on Achieving Resilience and Empowerment (2023).
I also run a program that uses miniature donkeys for empowerment activities for young people called The Way of the Donkey.
"Nancy's work is the result of decades of research and personal passion. Her resources are powerfully positive for anyone who wants to empower youth!"
- Russ Sabella, past president of the American School Counselor's Association
"Our research has shown that resilience is the most important trait that buffers and protects against the internalization of harm intended through bullying and cyberbullying. The insight that Nancy brings to increasing youth resilience is excellent."
- Sameer Hinduja, Cyberbullying Research Center
"Nancy Willard has always been a pioneer when it comes to addressing school bullying and empowering students and parents to address and overcome it."
- Joseph M. "Mike" Tully, Attorney and Former Board Member of the International Bullying Prevention Association
Information Resources
You can find information resources on empowerment and resilience on this page.
Learn MoreMedia Resources
The insight I have into the issues of youth trauma and resilience, as well as bullying, is significant. This insight is especially helpful for news media.
Learn More
Engage Students to Embrace Civility
There are extensive resources for school leaders on my Embrace Civility website.
Public Benefit Corporation
Embrace Civility LLC is a Certified Public Benefit Corporation in Oregon. Public Benefit Corporations maintain a focus on serving a public benefit, while also making a profit.
Like Be Positively Powerful on Facebook
The Be Positively Powerful Facebook Page will post and comment on news articles and websites with valuable information for parents, educators, and others who care for the well-being of young people.
Educators and Youth Workers
I am currently working on a version of these courses for educators and for those in out-of-school-time organizations.
These current courses for parents will also provide you with a valuable framework for understanding. You are encouraged to enroll in one of these courses to determine the appropriateness for parents in your community.
School Leaders
Please understand that I have worked in bullying prevention for over a decade. There are systemic barriers to effective efforts to reduce hurtful behavior and effectively intervene in these situations. I hope you appreciate my efforts to seek to empower parents to empower their children to reduce the likelihood others will be hurtful to them and effectively respond. I also am supporting them in better documenting what is happening to their child and the harmful impact. I am encouraging a resolution approach grounded in civil rights laws. You can download a document that explains the basis of the information I am providing to parents. More information can be found at Embrace Civility.
I provided links to these 2 podcasts in the Media page. I am including them here. This demonstrates how long I have been trying to communicate with school leaders on this important concern.
Is bullying just a right of passage or could we be doing more? A podcast with the wonderful Dr. T. 5 years ago.
What Schools and Parents Need to Know about CyberBullying. Another podcast with Dr. T. 6 years ago.
This is a keynote I gave in 2013 for a conference on bullying in Indiana.
Download This Leadership Document