International Association for ESD Professionals

Get Credentialed
Become a member

Category: Uncategorized

Share Your ESD Story

2025-06-27

Share Your ESD Story   Your experience can empower others. You’ve overcome challenges as an ESD instructor or student—navigated classroom crises, broke through personal barriers, found your strength. We want your story for the IAESDP “Spectrum of Safety” Editorial Page — a platform where real experiences become teaching tools that transform lives worldwide. Together, we’re building our collective ESD legacy. Selected stories may be included in our upcoming “Spectrum of Safety” anthology. Ready to inspire others? Contact leah@mypwr.app for submission details. Your journey matters. Share it.

Notes on the Journey: Sometimes Violence is the Answer

2025-05-09

Notes on the Journey: Sometimes Violence is the Answer What is Violence? I grew up believing, like most of us I believe, that violence is a physical act that harms another. And, most importantly, the belief that it can only be a physical act. But the narrowness of that definition makes me feel like I’m suffocating. For those of us who have experienced other forms of violence, it’s isolating to the point of despair. Before starting training, if you were to ask me what my definition of violence is, I would have said: violence is destructive force. Any destructive force.

Statement from the International Association of ESD Professionals (IAESDP) 

2025-04-06

Statement from the International Association of ESD Professionals (IAESDP) As we navigate the shifting landscape of U.S. foreign aid, the International Association of Empowerment Self Defense Professionals (IAESDP) stands resolutely by the side of our global ESD community, that has been directly affected by any financial short comings. We understand that the freeze and potential withdrawal of funding from USAID and other US-based sources may feel daunting, but together, we will rise and #FightForward to meet this challenge. Our commitment to support you as you empower the world remains unwavering.  In these times of uncertainty, we are dedicated to ensuring

Empowerment Self Defense Explained

2025-02-26

Empowerment Self Defense Explained Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) is emerging as a go-to framework for tackling rising incidents of gender-based violence, bullying, and harassment worldwide. Organizations like the International Association of ESD Professionals (IAESDP) aim to #FightForward by equipping individuals—especially women and children—with life-saving physical skills and the confidence to set boundaries and advocate for their own safety.  Driving the movement Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) goes far beyond physical maneuvers. It’s a global movement—rooted in inclusivity, trauma-informed methods, and real-world problem-solving—to ensure everyone can #FightForward for their safety and dignity.  ESD programs blend assertiveness training, trauma-informed care, and community activism with practical