Un-dividing
the World

Is Lasting Peace Possible?

Can we heal an ailing planet?

What is the most effective way to collaborate with those who hold different views?

About Fierce Civility

The Fierce Civility Project was founded in 2020 by Joe Weston to create a vehicle for those looking to take their innovative, passionate visions and ideas for a better, more equitable and sustainable world, and turn them into practical action. Its aim is to help others reclaim and reframe the concept of civility for the 21st century, activate deeper levels of civic engagement and respectful civil discourse, and break the gridlock caused by extreme polarization—resulting in a renewed sense of self in these unique and challenging times.

Are you ready to put your visions for a better world into practice with others of like mind and heart?

Do you want to feel less tension and discord with family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers who hold different views?

You are whole-heartedly welcome to be a part of the international Fierce Civility Project. Participants in this dynamic, interactive program and community gain a renewed sense of self—especially crucial in these unique and challenging times we are all living. Through an inspired array of ongoing seminars, lectures, intensive workshops, mediation sessions and coaching/consulting, engaged citizens acquire all of the effective, transformational tools and strategies within our signature Fierce Civility Approach.

Those who’ve already chosen the bold and noble path of becoming catalysts for fierce hope through this program have gone on to affect positive, pervasive change not only around their own kitchen tables and work spaces, but also on larger organizational and societal levels, ultimately fostering a culture of empowerment for all.

Three Case Studies

Enjoy this short video highlighting the powerful work of the Fierce Civility Project.

What Others Have to Say

“Fierce Civility is exactly the support and resource that we need to kickstart engaging with others whose points of view we don’t understand or agree with. Weston’s ‘skills of the heart’ can turn our ideas into action at a time when our future depends on our willingness to come together to resolve our current existential crises . . .”

—Dr. Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer

Founding Director of the National Institute for Civil Discourse and Founder/President of AmericaSpeaks

“Fierce Civility is landing at exactly the right time in our society with inspiration, lessons and a practical guide for rebuilding the civic muscle needed to solve collective problems. I plan on buying a copy of this book for literally every local leader with whom I work.”

—Hon. Ashley Swearengin

Mayor of Fresno, California (2009-2016)

“Joe’s Fierce Civility Approach references a lot of aspects we use in the U.S. Military to build teams while creating understanding on the front end that we may not see or get wrong. I recommend Fierce Civility to not only those seeking to build teams, but to who want to understand ‘how’ and ‘why’ we do. It helps us find a commonality that can be built upon.”

—Matt Hall

Lieutenant Colonel, USAR

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED.

"Being in one’s heart is not some saccharine-sweet greeting card sentiment. It is a strategy that enables us to embody courage, wisdom, patience and skill in order to artfully and respectfully meet the challenges of our time, while bringing out the best in every one of us."
–Joe Weston

Volunteer

Your contribution of time, skill and energy is greatly needed to help bring the Fierce Civility Project to people who are directly involved with high levels of stress (for example, disenfranchised communities and public service workers) so that new, lasting and equitable solutions can be discovered and implemented.

Donate

Become a “nurturer” and help us build bridges. Your donation will be used to train and equip school children, young adults and grassroots leaders in the nonprofit world, in the Middle East, and in geographies and professions where conflict is all too common.

FIERCE CIVILITY SEMINARS / LECTURES

Discover the powerful Fierce Civility “skills and strategies of the heart.”

Timeframe: 2 to 3 hours
Format: In-person / on-site

Learn about the larger, aspirational framework of the Fierce Civility Pathway of Hope—a bold yet pragmatic plan to break the gridlock of polarization, bring individuals together, and upgrade the level of communication needed to form effective solutions to personal and world problems. You will walk away with a renewed sense of fierce hope and a higher vision of civility that meets the challenges of our time. Joe’s dynamic, interactive approach makes for a fun and thought/heart-provoking experience while providing clear, easy-to-apply insights and tools

FIERCE CIVILITY FOUNDATIONS WORKSHOP

Become a more effective communicator, bridge-builder and win-win solutions advocate.

Ideal for: Anyone
Timeframe: 2 to 4 days
Format: In-person / on-site

In this immersive workshop, you will develop unique skills and strategies for dialoguing with others who hold differing views and for seeking better, broader collaborative solutions. Empower yourself to become a nurturer and protector who can gracefully withstand challenging encounters and effectively flow through them. Modeled after sports and martial arts training, this workshop is designed to support you in regulating your nervous system when you are interacting with family, co-workers, your community and society at large.

FIERCE CIVILITY AMBASSADOR TRAINING PROGRAM

Take your impact and scope of influence to the next level.

Timeframe: 4 to 6 months
Format: workshops, one-on-one coaching, peer coaching,
assessments, somatic practices

This comprehensive, full-immersion program offers the theories, tools, practices and strategies to effectively do so. If you are a company leader looking to shift your work culture to one of mutual empowerment and deeper levels of respect, dignity and inclusivity, or simply if you are someone who is committed to bringing about social transformation in your organization, community or politics, this training is for you. It offers a leadership model that meets the needs of the 21st century.

In learning to cultivate persuasive skills, a deeper sense of resilience, and the capacity to navigate various levels of resistance in nonviolent ways, you will achieve more with less time and effort while avoiding burnout, anxiety, and the unwanted escalation of conflict and misunderstanding. By practicing somatic theory and studying basic neurobiology, you or your team/organization will gain lasting positive effects that can ensure long-term results and opportunities for new solutions to current problems to spontaneously emerge.

FIERCE CIVILITY MEDIATION / CONSULTING

Get support, feel heard and find win-win solutions.

Timeframe: Set according to the client’s needs/preferences
Format: in-person, one-on-one, group setting

Joe Weston’s synergistic process of mediation and conflict-prevention coaching can support you, your group, community or organization in coming to common ground and, ultimately, finding resolutions for whatever issues you are courageously confronting. This mediation or consulting may include experiential exercises to shift mindsets, pivot behaviors and increase communication-skills competency. Joe (or one of his certified trainers/mediators) will lead you, you and your partner, or your competing groups in a human-centered, collaborative process that honors the dignity and “truth” of everyone involved, thereby increasing the chances for new solutions that work for all.

FIERCE CIVILITY FACILITATOR TRAINING

Interested in joining Joe and the Fierce Civility cadre of trainers, coaches and mediators?

Timeframe: 6 months to one year
Format: in-person, one-on-one, group setting,
on-site training

If you resonate with the importance of anchoring the Fierce Civility Approach into your community or the work culture of your group or company to ensure lasting beneficial shifts, consider experiencing our full-immersion, train-the-trainer program.

COMMUNITY PRACTICE GATHERINGS

Turn your best ideas and advocacy goals into concrete action.

Timeframe: 90 minutes, ongoing
Format: virtual on Zoom

Integrating new tools and shifting viewpoints and behaviors takes time, patience and diligence. That’s why we offer regular practice sessions for those who have experienced our skills-based courses. These gatherings allow for deeper levels of contemplation and engagement with other participants who share a common commitment to bringing about more mutual empowerment, healthy dialogue and shifts in our global discourse. Each session includes practice, group dialogue, peer coaching and collaborative problem-solving.

Who in your community can benefit from the Fierce Civility skills and training?

Our Sphere
of Influence
spans far
and wide.

Here are some clients that we’ve been honored to serve.