IASSW Past President Annamaria Campanini delivered an inspiring presentation on “The IASSW Role in Promoting Service Users’ Integration into Education and Research” at the 4th International Summer School in Tirana. The event was organized by the Southeast Europe Academic Women’s Leadership Initiative, with support from the Dennis and Julia Watkins Foundation and Prof. Barbara Shank.
This year’s theme, “Advancing Human Rights, Democracy and Justice: The Transformative Role of Social Work Education, Research and Practice”, provided an excellent framework to emphasize the importance of user involvement in shaping social work education. This builds on the work of IASSW and PowerUs in promoting service users’ participation in the training of social work students and fostering meaningful partnerships. PowerUs is an international network of social work educators, researchers, and representatives of service user organizations that supports the empowerment of marginalized and discriminated groups in society.
Drawing on the IASSW Global Standards’ emphasis on participation, Prof. Campanini highlighted experiences with PowerUs, including the development of 12 webinars and the publication of a dedicated issue of IASSW’s Social Dialogue magazine on service user involvement. These initiatives represent concrete steps toward strengthening collaboration between academia, professionals, and service users in building a more just and inclusive society.
