As ‘Paul’s’ story below shows, your gift will help stop the isolation and shame too often suffered by people with disabilities – leading to their being far more vulnerable to bullying and abuse – by giving them Safetypowers skills to speak up, protect their feelings, and get help.
‘Paul’ is a Safetypowers Ambassador, and his words capture how these skills make a profound difference.
“My disabilities make it harder for me to understand some things. When supervisors at work started calling me ‘stupid’ and ‘slow’, I was so grateful that I had Safetypowers skills to protect my feelings and get help!
Safetypowers skills helped me find my voice so I didn’t have to suffer in silence any more. Now, I feel safer, happier, and more confident! And, I am teaching my friends who have disabilities how to keep themselves safe, too.”
Too many people are suffering in silence, and your donation today has the power to give them skills they can use to advocate for themselves, speak up, and get help – so that they can stop suffering and start thriving!
Your gift will be doubled thanks to the generous support of our Leadership Circle. Thank you for helping Kidpower empower some of the most vulnerable members of our community with practical skills to be safe and thrive!
Published: December 19, 2024 | Last Updated: December 19, 2024
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.