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Joy and connection help to create Circles of Safety for our kids – and for ourselves!
As news stories constantly flood us with reports of tragic and frightening events, it can be hard not to become anxious. Unfortunately, worrying does not make any of us safer – it just makes all of us and the people we love feel helpless.
The sad reality is that we cannot give the children and teens in our lives a perfect world to live in. Instead of getting stuck in feeling worried and helpless, we CAN do our best to create what Kidpower likes to call ‘Circles of Safety’ for them and for ourselves within our families, schools, and communities.
This is why Creating Circles of Safety is the theme of our 6th International Child Protection Month this September.
The ongoing purpose of International Child Protection Month, established in 2014, is to support and recognize the importance of adult leadership in keeping kids safe. Each week, we will provide practical steps for taking action plus links to FREE special resources that you can use yourself and share with others. These actions and resources can help you to protect the young people in your care from harm – and to empower them with knowledge and skills for taking charge of their own well being.
This week, we begin with:
1. Take the Promise. Too often, kids and adults struggle with their problems alone because they believe that their adults are too busy or will be upset if they ask for help. The ‘Kidpower Protection Promise’ grew out of our years of coaching adults to be very specific in making sure kids know they care, no matter what. Take one minute to watch this inspiring and moving Kidpower Protection Promise video. Then, print, post, share, and discuss our FREE posters.
2. Take action to ensure safety in your home, neighborhood, school, place of business, place of worship, social groups, and community. To help you determine what needs to be done, in honor of International Child Protection Month, we are making our best-selling book, Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels, available on Kindle for just $4.99, a savings of $15.00.
Since International Child Protection Month began, we have provided valuable and important child safety tools to countless parents, educators, community leaders, and other caring adults through our many Partners in Protection and Centers worldwide.
During this September and beyond, we look forward to joining with you to help create as many Circles of Safety in our uncertain world as we can for everyone, everywhere, especially for our kids!
Published: August 29, 2019 | Last Updated: August 29, 2019
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.