The IAESDP is the only organization that offers Accreditation to ALL ESD train-the-trainer programs, no matter what form of ESD they teach or their historical or current affiliations. Accreditation with the IAESDP is for both new and established certificate programs that offer comprehensive instructor training. Becoming Accredited ensures quality, enhances reputation, and increases opportunities. Accreditation signals the program’s trustworthiness, commitment to excellence, and adherence to industry standards. This assurance can attract more trainees and clients, build trust with partners, and generate more revenue.
ESD credentials, developed through extensive research and collaboration with the global ESD community, signal your dedication to professionalism, competence, and ethical practice.
Achieving a credential is a powerful statement that you are part of a movement dedicated to social change, violence prevention, and the highest standards of practice. Stand proud, stand credentialed, and be the change the world needs!
The IAESDP is the only organization that offers Accreditation to ALL ESD train-the-trainer programs, no matter what form of ESD they teach or their historical or current affiliations. Accreditation with the IAESDP is for both new and established certificate programs that offer comprehensive instructor training. Becoming Accredited ensures quality, enhances reputation, and increases opportunities. Accreditation signals the program’s trustworthiness, commitment to excellence, and adherence to industry standards. This assurance can attract more trainees and clients, build trust with partners, and generate more revenue.
Accreditation with the IAESDP does not dictate an ESD instructor’s curriculum or the program’s training procedures, and the IAESDP rigorously protects the intellectual property of all applicants. IAESDP Accredited Programs are only obligated to abide by the Association Code of Ethics and to provide ESD training programs and materials that meet international standards while adjusting for cultural, legal, and regional differences.
To be eligible for certain partner programs and studies, IAESDP Accreditation is necessary for training programs to ensure high quality and common standards.
A Certificate Program is considered eligible to be accredited if it:
Is an original, proprietary curriculum* uniquely authored by the applicant / organization.
Includes substantial differentiation in expression, materials, and pedagogy than other programs, even when teaching universally accepted ESD principles.
The applicant is a “Legal Entity,” meaning they are a registered organization, business, or independent contractor able to enter into contracts and are in current compliance with local laws and regulations.
The entity owns the intellectual property rights (copyright) to the training program and materials. NOTE: If you are training instructors with a program created by another entity, please contact us to enquire if the training materials have already been accredited.
The entity can provide class plans and curriculum for the same or similar ESD workshops instructors will be teaching upon completing their certificate. This curriculum should meet common ESD standards including physical and verbal skills education and trauma-informed facilitation.
The entity has a documented training process with clear and feasible benchmarks, and a measurable assessment to determine quality and achievement.
Teaching common ESD principles do not make a program ineligible; but if the program is derivative or copied proprietary work, it is ineligible. For example: Everyone in ESD teaches boundary setting. But not everyone uses the same framework, phrasing, scenarios, assessment tasks, or program architecture. Those differences are what make a training program eligible for Accreditation by the Association. If a program is simply a re-branded version of someone else’s with light editing, it’s not eligible. If it is meaningfully different in structure, content, and assessment, it is. If you are a trainer who uses someone else’s curriculum to train instructors, you are not eligible for Accreditation. Please look at our Credentialing program.
An original, proprietary curriculum is a training program that an organization created itself and has the legal right to use and teach.
This means the organization:
Many Empowerment Self Defense programs teach similar topics, such as boundary-setting, awareness, verbal skills, or physical self-defense. Teaching similar ideas does not make a curriculum unoriginal. What matters is how those ideas are taught.
A curriculum is not considered original if it is:
For accreditation, programs must be meaningfully their own. If an organization uses materials created by someone else, it must have written permission or a license to do so.
Accreditation confirms that a program is legitimate, responsibly created, and legally used, not that it owns ideas that are shared across the field.
The Accreditation process is rigorous and transparent and may take three to six months to complete. The process is as follows:
Accreditation with the IAESDP does not dictate an ESD instructor’s curriculum or the program’s training procedures, and the IAESDP rigorously protects the intellectual property of all applicants. IAESDP Accredited Programs are only obligated to abide by the Association Code of Ethics and to provide ESD training programs and materials that meet international standards while adjusting for cultural, legal, and regional differences.
To be eligible for certain partner programs and studies, IAESDP Accreditation is necessary for training programs to ensure high quality and common standards.
The Accreditation process is rigorous and transparent and may take three to six months to complete. The process is as follows:
Annual Revenue Below USD 100,000
Individual annual income: USD 100,000-250,000
Individual Annual Income: USD 250,000-500,000
Individual Annual Income: USD 500,000-750,000
Individual Annual Income: USD 750,000-1M
Individual annual income: USD 1M+
We encourage anyone who needs it to apply for financial assistance, especially programs in under-represented countries.
Accreditation pricing is 20% off for current IAESDP Members. If you are not a member, 2 years of membership is included with your accreditation if you are not already a member.
The IAESDP is dedicated to processes that are transparent, ethical, and done with integrity. Accreditation review will be conducted by the independent ECC committee, made of ESD professionals and members of the public. They will use global standards to evaluate certificate programs in the following areas:
Legal and Business Practices
Demonstrates legal and sustainable business practices.
Ethical Standards
Practices are ethical, transparent and fair.
Training Process and Assessments
Demonstrates competency and quality; alignment of training with documented outcomes.
Development and Evaluation
Trainees leave program competent and satisfied; program is effective; dedication to improvement.
ESD Principles
Demonstrates cultural competency, trauma-awareness, inclusive and intersectional practices.
Interviews and Video Reviews
Trained instructors demonstrate strong ESD teaching skills; trainers show comprehensive ESD knowledge.
Email credentials@esdprofessionals.org to set up a meeting.
