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March 2020… The world largely shut down trying to halt the pandemic. But Kidpower couldn’t shut down. The demand for our services surged from:
- People in close quarters for months, treading on each others’ toes, struggling to set boundaries.
- Parents trying to hold down jobs, support remote learning, and provide care and love for heartbroken children missing their friends.
- Senior citizens unable to be with their loved ones, lonely yet afraid to leave their home.
- Everyone seeking ways to safely cope with upset emotions and tensions.
We were determined to respond. Some people said teaching would be ‘impossible” because of the shutdowns, but we weren’t deterred. Our whole team focused on rapidly converting our in-person programs and workshops to being fully accessible and available online. We greatly expanded the reach of our audience and created new videos, articles, workshops, and other tools. And it worked — we have over 50,000 visitors to our website every month!
Our work must go on. Kidpower is serving thousands of people in families, schools, and communities in every part of the world. Our unwavering commitment is to prepare everyone to take charge of their safety so they can cope with overwhelming issues of these times: feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and despair. Pandemic fatigue. Abuse at home during lockdown.
And to meet this challenge, we need your help.
Next week, on December 1, #GivingTuesday, we are asking that you make a generous donation of any size because it will be matched, doubling the value of your donation to Kidpower. Your donation powers our work!
Published: November 23, 2020 | Last Updated: November 23, 2020
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.