Irene van der Zande, Kidpower’s Founder and Executive Director
Irene is the Founder and Executive Director of Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International, the internationally-recognized global nonprofit leader in ‘People Safety’ education, providing effective and empowering solutions to bullying, abuse, sexual assault, and other harmful behavior through online and live workshops as well as through print publications and digital resources.
Since 1989, Irene has inspired an international movement of leaders, reaching millions of people of all ages, abilities, cultures, identities, and walks of life with the knowledge and skills they need to take charge of their safety.
As a result of Irene’s ongoing leadership and collaboration, Kidpower has earned an outstanding reputation for developing, organizing, and presenting high quality child protection, positive communication, advocacy, self-defense, and personal safety programs and curriculums both in-person and online. She is a proven expert at adapting Kidpower’s services and programs to meet the needs of those facing increased risk of violence and abuse because of disabilities, poverty, and prejudice.
As Kidpower’s expert lead author, Irene places time-tested life-saving skills and lessons directly into the hands of parents and professionals. Her work has gained world-wide acclaim from experts in education, law enforcement, and health for being upbeat, experiential, age-appropriate, emotionally safe, trauma-informed, and relevant in today’s often-challenging times. Kidpower lessons have been presented in over 20 languages, across six continents. Kidpower trainings attract participants from around the globe.
