I thought you would enjoy the following success story that we received from a young woman we’ll call “Laura,” who has been learning and using Kidpower skills since she was a toddler.
“I have been learning Kidpower since early childhood, and so these values and skills have become deeply ingrained in everything that I do. As I look back, Kidpower has had an amazingly positive impact on my life. I believe that this knowledge has helped me stay safe in the world – both physically and emotionally – and I believe that what I have learned from Kidpower will help me keep myself safe should a problem arise in the future.
Kidpower skills have applied to so many different situations on so many levels in my life. For example, I think my mom’s Kidpower skills helped her protect me and my brother from any divorce-related drama when we were younger.
Once I had a riding teacher who was very well-intentioned but said some things that came across as very hurtful to me. I found Kidpower’s Trash Can skill to be helpful in taking the power out of hurting words. By getting help and telling my parents that I had a problem, we were able to set clear boundaries with the teacher. Knowing that my safety comes first resulted in our decision to find a new place to ride, as we all felt that my old trainer was no longer a good fit for me – a great example of using Walk Away Power to avoid trouble.
At age 13, I was able to fly to Europe alone to visit some friends. Because of my Kidpower skills, my parents and I felt safe having me travel such a distance away from home independently. We all knew that I was prepared to stay aware of my surroundings and to ask for help should I need it.
When I am on the internet, I am always being aware, just like I would be in the physical world. I am being aware of what I say and thinking about what information is available to the people who might be seeing me there. And I am ready to set boundaries and disengage whenever someone acts inappropriately or tries to get me to share more than I want to.
Kidpower has made my friendships stronger by teaching me to set calm, strong boundaries that prevent problems from getting larger with people I care about. I’ve talked to many people my age who don’t think about these things and have issues with friends or family, and many of them have been really happy when I share the People Safety knowledge I have gained from Kidpower with them.
Knowing how to be aware while walking around in the world helps me feel independent and to stay safe in a way many other people my age do not. New things are not as frightening because I know how to remove myself if I think I’m in an unsafe situation, and how to get help if I have a problem. I know how to defend myself if someone should try to harm me. And I have the confidence to speak up for myself and to ask for what I want in a way that makes most people willing to listen to me.
I think everyone should be able to learn Kidpower, and I want to do what I can to help make that happen.”
“Laura” – age 17
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.
