Students thrive—academically, socially, and personally—in an atmosphere of respect that they themselves help create. This is the core principle of the emPOWERment project, founded in 2009 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Omaha, Nebraska, by experienced education and business professionals Susan Adams, Anne Steinhoff, and Anne Fenner.

The emPOWERment project has developed an innovative 10-week program—Respect and Manners at School and Work—and introduced it to students in grades four through seven. Meeting once a week with EP facilitators during the school day, students create a positive and respectful learning atmosphere in the classroom, forming habits that encourage: