How do I become a member of the Association?

Just click on one of the Join Us buttons and fill out a short form. Membership is $200 for individuals and $600 for organizations (organization membership includes up to three people and discounts for additional members). Check out our membership page to learn more about the benefits of joining the Association, as well as details on discounts for financial need and international tiered pricing.

Why join the Association?

The Association provides extensive benefits for our members (check out some of those benefits here) and can support your ESD career in numerous ways. But the most important reason is that this is an opportunity to be a part of something wonderful—a passionate and vibrant ESD community. The Association welcomes everyone and supports ESD professionals to do what they do best: prevent violence around the world and empower people to be their most powerful selves.

What is the Credentialing Program?

The Association Credential Program includes a Credentialing Exam and a Continuing Education and Accreditation component. To obtain an ESDP credential, candidates will apply to take the credentialing exam. Click here to see the requirements. Once accepted into the program, the candidate will take the 3-hour exam. If the candidate passes the exam, they will receive a credential. To keep the credential current, the candidate will renew it every 3 years with continuing education credits. Continuing education credits will be obtained from ESD providers all over the world who choose to become accredited with the Association. In addition, the Association will offer select courses on subjects like ethics and business-related topics.

Have questions about the Credentialing Exam?

Check out the FAQ section at the end of the Exam Handbook, where we have tried to answer any questions that might come up as you consider taking the exam.

Why create an ESD credential?

The Association of ESD Professionals was formed, in part, to promote a common, well-recognized, global standard of what constitutes professionalism and competence for ESD instructors, curricula development specialists, researchers, advocates, and other ESD Professionals. We believe that the Association credential (ESDP) will achieve this.

Through our credentialing program and many other features, the Association hopes to show the world the value of ESD and make it more broadly appreciated as a legitimate and effective way to combat and dramatically reduce interpersonal violence through empowerment. The Association aims to educate members of the public about empowerment self-defense.

One of the reasons we established the Association was to provide an objective, standardized measure of competency. We believe this will build trust between the profession and the general public. Policymakers, future ESD students, and institutions (such as schools, universities, NGOs, governments, and corporations) considering sponsoring ESD trainings will see that the ESD professional has been tested by an independent body (independent because the Association has no stake in the outcome of any one credential exam—exam results do not reflect on the Association’s ESD instruction because the Association does not teach ESD). In this way, neither policymakers nor the general public need to sort out which certificate indicates competence in ESD – they can simply look to a universal credential.

In addition, the existence of the Association and its credentialing program and code of ethics will give politicians the cover they need to make important changes in law, policy, and funding affecting ESD specifically, not just violence-prevention generally. Similarly, it will give institutions the cover they need to justify sponsoring ESD courses. Credentialing will protect the reputation of ESD and the reputations of ESD instructors and organizations by issuing credentials only to those who understand and practice the principles of ESD.

The Credentialing Program was developed through research, consultation, and engagement with the global ESD community following best practices. The Association has established an international standard that crosses borders, aligns with a diversity of cultures, and will effectively serve organizations of all types and sizes. Achieving the recognized ESDP credential from the Association signals that a candidate’s practice is in alignment with the principles of ESD and that they have demonstrated professional competence, a strong commitment to violence prevention and social change, and high standards of ethical practice.

Will the credentialing program interfere or compete with existing ESD certification and certificate programs programs? No!

Part of the mission of the Association of ESD Professionals and its credentialing program is to bring attention and, if desired, more students to ESD practitioners—for the benefit of the practitioners who are invested in expanding their practices and to fulfill the mission of expanding ESD and preventing violence through empowerment. In fact, for those relatively new to ESD, it is recommended that credential candidates first train and, if possible, earn certificates from ESD instructor-trainers and organizations prior to taking the Association’s credentialing exam. We like to think in terms of this analogy … ESD certificate programs (i.e., NWMAF, ESD Global, ESD Albania, ESD LAC, ESD Czechia, IMPACT Personal Safety, IMPACT Safety, IMPACT, and hundreds of other organizations and individuals training people how to teach ESD) are to the Association credentialing program what law schools are to the bar exam. First you go to law school then you take the bar exam. Doing this first prepares you for teaching ESD and then for convincing others, especially institutions, to take or sponsor your ESD classes. It is not an either-or equation. We hope that our credentialing exam helps create demand for certificate programs. It will not interfere or compete with them. Everybody benefits as we broaden the reach of ESD to the millions of people throughout the world who need it.