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What a month! As September draws to a close, we are excited to report that the first International Child Protection Month has provided over 300,000 parents, teachers, coaches, and other caring adults with simple and effective actions they can take as leaders in protecting and promoting the safety and well-being of young people.
I especially want to express appreciation to our Founding Partners: MyGym International, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Positive Coaching Alliance, Little Pickle Press, Dhana, DC Self Defense Karate Association, Hands and Voices, Council for Exceptional Children, Go Girls!, Doing Right by our Kids, Together for a Safe Childhood, and the Lawrence Family Foundation.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone who has furthered this global month of action by using, sharing, and writing articles, posters, safety tips, handouts, posts, tweets, and messages – every person you have helped us to reach makes a difference in creating positive social climates where our kids can learn, play, grow, and live with fewer problems and greater joy.
And now, where do we go from here?
First, please take 2 minutes to help us reach our goal of having 50,000 adults let us know that they have made the Kidpower Put Safety First Commitment. Making your name public is optional, and of course we will never share your address.
Next, please keep sharing knowledge and skills that will help to keep kids safe – and keep making safety an ongoing conversation and practice with the young people in your life.
Finally, please let us know your ideas for new partners, additional resources we can share, and other activities that will help adults everywhere to protect young people from harm – and empower them to take charge of their own well-being.
Like any major event, planning starts right away for September 2015. During the months ahead, we will be reaching out to families, schools, organizations, businesses, places of worship, recreational groups, and governments to greatly increase our scope and involvement.
Together, we can transform fear of bullying, violence, and abuse into a future of lifelong safety and success for today’s youth!
Published: September 30, 2014 | Last Updated: September 30, 2014
Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.
