Helping kids, teens, and adults build the confidence to speak up, the skills to stay safe, and the tools to navigate relationships with respect and care.

Helping Vermonters Build Safety and Confidence Since 2007

Everyone deserves access to practical skills for personal safety, healthy boundaries, and getting help. For the past 19 years, I've been working to make sure those skills are available here in Vermont.

I'm Laura Slesar, Director of Kidpower Vermont. I trained with Kidpower International and reopened the Vermont center because I believed these skills were too important not to share. Since then, more than 1,700 Vermonters—kids, teens, and adults—have learned skills that help them navigate relationships, advocate for themselves and others, and handle challenges with confidence.

As both a parent and an educator, I know that safety isn't about teaching people to live in fear. It's about giving them tools, support, and opportunities to practice so they can live with confidence.

I currently run Kidpower Vermont with support from a small local advisory board and a worldwide network of colleagues through Kidpower International. Together with volunteers, donors, and community partners, we're working to make these skills available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

I'd love to explore how we can bring these skills to the people you care about.

The Kidpower Mission

To provide effective and empowering skills in child protection, positive communication, advocacy, personal safety, and self-defense for all ages, abilities, cultures, beliefs, genders, and identities.

Kidpower is

Honest

Kidpower champions clear communication and ethical practices in addressing community issues.

Evolving

We are always looking for ways to improve and are open to new ideas.

Fair

We develop clear win-win agreements and uphold high standards.

Supportive

We encourage people to take good care of their well-being and to make their health and their loved ones their top priorities.

Productive

We are effective and efficient in how we use our own time and the time of others.

Safe

We are committed to ensuring the physical and emotional safety of everyone involved with Kidpower.

Collaborative

We work as a team with each other, with our supporters, and with our students to bring the best services possible to the most people possible.

Proactive

We anticipate problems and take action sooner rather than later. We get help to solve problems if we are stuck.

Courageous

Kidpower stands up for its beliefs. We don’t let fear, embarrassment, inconvenience, or discomfort prevent us from working towards our goals and upholding our values.

Joyful

We are enthusiastic, hopeful, and positive in all our communications with others, even when we need to set boundaries or refuse someone’s request.

Appreciative

We honor everyone’s contributions and acknowledge people for what they do.

Inclusive

We welcome people of any age, culture, religion, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, political belief, nationality, marital status, or level of income, who share our commitment to integrity and safety for everyone and who can join us in upholding our values.

What Parents Are Saying

“Kidpower’s training gave my children confidence and transformed how we approach safety as a family. It's a fun, empowering experience I recommend to everyone.”

Parent

“Kidpower transformed how I approach my child's desire for independence, providing us with practical safety tools and the confidence to navigate the world more securely.”