Educating the next generation of human rights advocates and defenders: An interprofessional partnership

Defending human rights requires professionals to be unrelenting in the pursuit of systemic change. It requires the collaboration of varied professions bringing together their expertise to challenge the system of domination that has led to subjugation. Interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPE) is a powerful tool where human rights defenders and advocates from different disciplines can learn from each other and advocate for change. This is an overview of an innovative collaboration between Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Human Rights and Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare (SBUSSW) BSW Program. It will illustrate the way the RFK Human Rights’ human rights education program, Speak Truth To Power (STTP) is being adapted to baccalaureate social work education. Included is the method that the SBUSSW incorporates the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies in a human rights context through the partnership with RFK Human Rights.