About Amy Williams

Amy Williams is a free-lance journalist based in Southern California and mother of two. As a parent, she enjoys spreading the word on positive parenting techniques in the digital age and raising awareness on issues like cyberbullying and online safety.

Negotiation Skills: What You Need to Succeed

2017-12-19T16:38:36+00:00November 22, 2016|Corporate, Guest bloggers, How to, Women’s poverty|

Women in office meetingRegardless of what’s going on in your personal life or what career path you have chosen, there is one skill that all people need to master: negotiating. Skilled negotiators are able to collaboratively solve problems and move ahead in their careers, so why aren’t women engaging in more negotiations? Fear.

According to Salary.com, 55% of women are nervous about entering negotiations, compared to only 39% of men. Women who choose to negotiate are often viewed as difficult to work with, or less feminine than other women who chose to accept what was given to them without making a fuss. Other research has shown that women are viewed this way regardless of whether they entered the negotiation with a smile or aggressive attitude.

Empowering Teens to Date Safely Online

2016-02-10T13:50:59+00:00February 10, 2016|Empowering girls, Gender-based violence, Guest bloggers, How to|

Teens taking selfieAs we raise our children, we strive to teach them healthy ways to handle peer pressure, to be thoughtful and respectful of others, and to navigate the world of relationships. However, our children are not growing up in the same world we did. Raising sons and daughters in the digital age can be very rewarding, but as our children take their friendships and dating online, parents need to address a host of new issues with their kids to help them have safe and healthy relationships in the virtual world.

Teens and Online Dating

During adolescence, the desire to form independent relationships outside of family is strong and an important part of maturing into adulthood. It’s only natural that our children, who expertly use the Internet and social media to connect daily, turn to the digital world to find or enhance these relationships too.

Teens and the search for social privacy online

2017-12-19T17:40:51+00:00July 16, 2015|Empowering girls, Guest bloggers, Infographics|

Mother with daughterAs a mother of teenagers, I often stress about everything and anything. I worry about car problems, school grades, crushes, and dangers trolling the online world. Needless to say, I have spent many sleepless nights surfing the Internet reading horror stories about teens’ risky behaviours that have a tragic ending.

I know…I shouldn’t do this to myself.

In my quest to keep our children safe, I have often struggled with respecting our children’s privacy. On one hand, I want to go mama bear and ward off all potential predators to maintain safety at all costs. However, I know that privacy is needed and valued by our sons and daughters.

Online abuse – It’s closer than you think

2017-12-19T17:42:43+00:00June 17, 2015|Empowering girls, Gender-based violence, Guest bloggers, How to|

Teen with cell phoneI was recently visiting a local high school when I noticed something very disturbing. I stopped off in the women’s restroom to freshen up and wash my hands. That’s when a printed flyer taped to the mirror caught my eye.

It was from an organization offering teen girls help if they were experiencing dating violence. That wasn’t what shocked me, it was the amount of torn off tabs with the contact number to get help. Only three tabs remained attached on that flyer.