by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | Feb 8, 2018
Lately, it seems that barely a week goes by that we don’t hear news of adults in positions of power or trust, accused or convicted of “sexual misconduct” in the workplace, domestic violence, sexually abusing young people in their care, and also about adult leaders who were told and ignored it. We believe that because […]
by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | Mar 22, 2017
Kids and adults alike often suffer from name-calling, taunting, rude gestures, pranks, and other cruel behavior because of their weight. This handout and audio recording thanks to Healthful Life MD Abby Bleistein provide resources for health care providers and other caring adults who want to provide support and skills for young people who face much higher risks of being bullied about their weight.
by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | Nov 19, 2015
7 actions you can take to address fears about school shootings and lockdown drills in ways that create emotional safety for children. Addressing questions like: What is the best way to protect our kids from school shootings? How can we keep them emotionally safe in the face of news about kids getting killed at school and about bomb and shooting threats at schools? How can we explain to them about lockdown drills?
by Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director | Oct 30, 2015
At Kidpower, we teach that Heart Power can be used to take kindness into your heart, protect your heart from harmful messages, and use your heart to connect with and be compassionate towards others. Here’s how Heart Power helped my elderly mother to heal her emotional heart and united our family and friends to overcome many obstacles to bring her home.
by Beth McGreevy | Oct 8, 2015
The reason we call our programs Positive Peer Communication, is because our approach is to teach the skills we want young people and adults to build for respectful self-advocacy, boundary setting, and effectively getting help. These skills do help to prevent bullying and harassment — and even more importantly: they are the same skills that help everyone to build positive, healthy relationships and a culture of safety and respect in their families, schools, communities, and workplaces.
by Kidpower | Sep 18, 2015
Setting clear and respectful boundaries is an essential life skill for adults and kids alike and makes a tremendous difference in our ability to develop healthy relationships. This Problems Into Practices Coaching Call shows how to find solutions to specific boundary problems with young people.
by Beth McGreevy | Sep 2, 2015
Our “Turning Problems into Practices” coaching conference call last month with Kidpower’s executive director and founder, Irene van der Zande, about “Dealing with and Protecting Young People from Prejudice,” addressed callers’ questions about how to cope when you are the target of prejudice, and how to reduce anxiety in situations where people are different and stop harmful actions that are based on prejudice.
by Beth McGreevy | Jun 11, 2015
A recap and recording of Kidpower’s “Summer Safety” Coaching call, held June 1, 2015. Read a summary transcript with links to all of the recommended resources and listen to a recording of the call. Parents and professionals called in to talk with Irene van der Zande who helped turn their concerns about safety for kids in summer camp, recreation and travel situations into step-by-step practices to help kids build confidence and skills for taking charge of their own well-being.
by Beth McGreevy | May 19, 2015
A recap of Kidpower’s May 5, 2015 “Turning Problems into Practices” Coaching Call with Kidpower Founder Irene van der Zande. Call Topic: Free-Range Parenting and Safety. Listen to the full audio and read a text summary of the listener questions and solution discussions.
by Dr. Amy Tiemann | May 27, 2014
My grief about Elliot Rodger’s Santa Barbara killing rampage takes me to an almost wordless place. But I think it’s important to find my voice and try to address it.