Recently, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation Switzerland launched at an inaugural celebration at Schloss Rapperswil, a castle on Lake Zurich.

Honorary guests included President of RFK Human Rights Ms Kerry Kennedy, former President of East Timor and Nobel Laureate Jose Ramos Horta, human rights advocates Marina Pisklakova and Gabor Gombos, HRH Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark Countess Diana d’Hendecourt, US Ambassador to Switzerland Mrs Suzan LeVine, Swiss Ambassador to the United States Mr Martin Dahinden, and actress Alfre Woodard.

The celebration started with a preview of the photo exhibit Speak Truth To Power at the Kunst(Zeug)Haus in Rapperswil. The exhibit featured 31 portraits by Eddie Adams together with the portfolio As I was dying by Paolo Pellegrin and Corridors of Power by Luca Zanier. In addition, later in the evening, the play Voices From Beyond the Dark was performed.

On Sunday, August 30, Christoph Karlo, Kerry Kennedy, Sandra Hutterli, Jose Ramos Horta, Marina Pisklakova and Gabor Gombos went to the Kunst(Zeug)Haus in Rapperswil for the official opening of the photo exhibit and press appointments.

The Robert F. Kennedy Foundation is focused on bringing Speak Truth To Power (STTP) to all schools across Switzerland. On Monday, after the weekend launch, 15 teachers arrived for the first training, which is being done by artefix kultur und schule, an independent institution focused on translating and connecting knowledge through art. That was the first of 50 workshops that will be conducted.

Several schools have already requested the play and curriculum. To meet the demand, the website www.speaktruthtopower.ch went live last week and teachers can download lessons and activities. In addition, the RFK Foundation will launch an iPad app in the Swiss app store this week.

The Robert F. Kennedy Foundation plans to launch the Swiss-French curriculum in 2016, coupled to an STTP photo exhibit in Fribourg. The Swiss-Italian curriculum will follow later that year. The curriculum has been introduced to 893 schools in three cantons (Schwyz, Zurich, St. Gallen). All 893 schools have received a copy of the book accompanied by a letter from Sandra Hutterli, Director of STTP Switzerland.

In addition, all of the teachers’ media outlets pushed STTP out during the last two weeks. Finally, all teachers of all 893 schools had received a detailed description of STTP through email.