Bookmark and Share

What is People Safety?

By Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Executive Director

(Please Note: For copyright information and reproduction guidelines, please click here.)
Download PDF for printing or sharing

In Kidpower, we use the term “People Safety” to mean what individuals can do to keep themselves and others emotionally and physically safe. In other words, people being safe with people.

At different times in our lives, we might find ourselves in different situations, need different kinds of help, and be able to do different kinds of things. In Kidpower, individuals of all ages, abilities, cultures, and walks of life have found that People Safety skills and concepts prepare them to:

  • Create better relationships
  • Advocate effectively for the well-being of themselves and others
  • Act as powerful respectful leaders
  • Protect themselves from most bullying, harassment, molestation, assault, exploitation, abduction, and other kinds of violence

The Kidpower definition of People Safety includes:

  • Believing that everyone has the right to be emotionally and physically safe – including ourselves
  • Knowing what is safe and what is not safe
  • Communicating effectively about what we do want and what we do not want
  • Taking charge of safety in different situations
  • Being persistent in asking for help
  • Knowing how to protect our feelings and our bodies if others act in thoughtless, mean, scary, unsafe, or dangerous ways
  • Staying in charge of what we say and do so that we make safe, respectful choices

The tools of People Safety taught by Kidpower include:

  • Self-protection skills to prevent most trouble
  • Safety plans to prepare for the unexpected
  • Boundaries and advocacy to build better relationships
  • Self-defense skills to stop most emergencies

Kidpower’s goal is to bring high quality People Safety education to as many people as possible, especially those who are most vulnerable, in order to achieve our vision of working together to create cultures of caring, respect, and safety for all.

Kidpower provides a wealth of resources to promote and teach People Safety skills through our method of empowering effective hands-on practice. These include our:


Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International