Irene van der Zande is an internationally-recommended personal safety and child development expert who has directly taught thousands of people of all ages and abilities how to take charge of their emotional and physical safety and how to develop positive relationships that enrich their lives. Irene is the founder and executive director of Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International, a global nonprofit that has protected over 3 million children, teens, and adults from bullying, abuse, harassment, assault, kidnapping, and other violence through greater awareness, action, and skills.
The inspiration for starting Kidpower happened in 1985, when, in a public place with people standing all around, Irene protected a group of eight young children, including her own two, from a man who was threatening to kidnap them. Searches for answers to questions raised by this frightening experience led Irene to collaborate with educators, mental health professionals, law enforcement officials, martial artists, health care providers, and other parents to establish Kidpower in 1989. Since then, Irene has led the development of personal safety programs that are effective, empowering, and fun - and that build confidence. Kidpower's Positive Practice Teaching Method (TM) coaches students so that they are successful in rehearsing how to handle difficult - and dangerous - problems with people in situations that are relevant to their lives.
Irene is an inspiring speaker, a dedicated leader, and an author whose writing is filled with humor, memorable stories, and practical advice. Her many books include 1,2, 3 ... The Toddler Years; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Handbook for Teens and Adults; One Strong Move: Cartoon Illustrated Self-Defense Lessons; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; the Kidpower Safety Comics, the Kidpower Youth Safety Comics, and the Fullpower Safety Comics series; and training manuals for educators. Currently, she is working on two book projects, Face Bullying With Confidence: How to Create Cultures of Respect and Safety for All Ages and Stages of Life and Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels of Society.
