Who I am
Emma McCarthy, UCDVO volunteer
What I did
In order to demonstrate the value of working as a physiotherapist in the international health and development context, I created an interactive photography exhibition of my own experience at the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists annual conference, a professional body representing over 3,000 Chartered Physiotherapists in Ireland.

The exhibition highlighted the skills and experience of physiotherapists who live and work in the Global South and to inspire others to explore opportunities to volunteer using their valuable skills at home or overseas.
Insightful photo exhibition by @UCDVO @UCDPhysio tutors Claire Smyth and Emma McCarthy @_ISCP_ #iscpconf2018 today. Strong examples of impact of clinical, university and NGO collaboration over the last few years! @UCD_SDG pic.twitter.com/0sJ6G04vYk
— Cliona O’Sullivan (@MyCliona) November 10, 2018
How I did it
Choosing the target audience was crucial to this action project. The topic of building sustainable rehabilitation is of keen interest to my fellow physiotherapists.
This was an opportunity to showcase not only the contribution of the overseas volunteers from UCDVO, but more importantly the work being completed by local physiotherapists based in local projects in India and Uganda
“I felt this was a valuable action project as it helped to raise awareness of global justice issues in a healthcare context which I am personally experienced and familiar with. This proved to be a great opportunity to take action as it is a national conference where we were able to engage with physio-therapists who work in a variety of places and contexts.” – Emma McCarthy
- This case study has been adapted from the Bank of Actions for Global Citizens produced by the Global Citizens Award. For more, check out Emma’s blog reflecting on her trip and her encounters in India.
Features, blogs and guides

Workshop: A teachers’ guidebook to ‘greenwashing’
Author of the teacher’s guidebook, Rachel Elizabeth Kendrick, will lead a session on the 3 big ideas and teaching methods published as a 3-part series.

Episode 6: ‘A lot of it is questioning…all the time’ – Fiona King
In this episode, Ciara Regan catches up with visual arts educator Fiona King from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD)

3 countries who used COVID-19 restrictions as a weapon against social justice
Kai Evans explores how governments used COVID-19 restrictions for the wrong reasons.

COVID-19 Vaccine Inequality: a shot in the arm for Africa
COVID-19 vaccine inequality remains, despite many of us returning to a form of ‘normality.’ Kai Evans finds out why.

Protecting the civil society space – 5 lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic
Kai Evans reviews lessons learned from the pandemic about protecting civil society space during a crisis.

I don’t know what the answer is, but we need to keep having these conversations
As educators (in whatever context you are in), how do you challenge misogyny, when facts are no longer sacred, and challenge popular opinion? Ciara reflects on International Women’s Day