8–12 June 2026 | School of Education, University College Cork
Your are invited to join us for Praxis Week 2026 at UCC.
Praxis Week is the annual showcase and learning space of the Praxis Project in the School of Education, UCC. It brings together staff, students, educators, researchers, community partners, international collaborators and members of the public to explore how Global Justice Education can be taught, researched, represented and experienced within higher education.
Praxis Week 2026 will create a reflective, interdisciplinary space for dialogue, creativity, critical inquiry and collaboration. Through keynote discussion, research presentations, partnership conversations, film, creative and experiential methodologies, and exhibition work, the week will engage with questions of justice, inequality, sustainability, migration, identity, representation, inclusion, voice, lived experience and social change.
A central Praxis Hub exhibition will be open throughout the week in ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building. The exhibition includes films, poster presentations, installations and creative responses developed through ED6082 and the Digital Badge in Global Citizenship Education.
All in-person events take place in ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building, unless otherwise stated. Refreshments will be provided at all events.
We are grateful to Irish Aid for funding the work of the Praxis Project.
Register
Registration is required for all events. Please register here:
Participants may register for one event, several events, or the full week.
Refreshments are available at all events.
Programme
Monday 8 June 2026 | 1:00pm–2.30pm
Opening Keynote and Exhibition Launch
Venue: ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building
Keynote Speaker: Dr Lassane Ouedraogo, Chairperson, Africa Centre Ireland
Praxis Week opens with a keynote conversation exploring the value and urgency of Global Justice Education in higher education and wider society. Drawing on experience across community leadership, human rights advocacy, inclusion, migration, social justice and education, Mr. Lassane Ouedraogo will reflect on how education can contribute to more just, inclusive and socially responsive futures.
The keynote will be followed by the launch of the Praxis Hub exhibition.
See full biographical details below.
Exhibition Launch and Praxis Hub Showcase
In a Fractured World: Worlds We Live In, Worlds We Question, Worlds We Imagine
Following the Keynote | ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building
Following the opening keynote, Praxis Week will formally launch the Praxis Hub exhibition in ORB_123. The exhibition, In a Fractured World: Worlds We Live In, Worlds We Question, Worlds We Imagine, was first launched at Cork City Library, where it was displayed for a month as a public-facing Global Justice Education initiative. It will now be brought back to UCC as a central feature of Praxis Week.
The exhibition and accompanying films were created by UCC staff participants through the 15 credit masters Micro credential module ED6082 and the Digital Badge in Global Citizenship Education, as part of the Praxis Project. The work explores global justice through education, creative practice, film, public engagement, and interdisciplinary reflection.
The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on themes including migration, care, sustainability, identity, inequality, representation, voice, and social change. It includes poster boards, films, installations, and creative responses, and will remain on display in the Praxis Hub throughout the week.
The creators of the exhibition and films will be present at the launch and will introduce aspects of their work.
Exhibition and film contributors:
Gertrude Cotter, School of Education, UCC, Project Lead
Carla Almanza-Galvez
Marica Cassarino
Rene Gonzales
Joanne Heffernan
Laoise Keevers
Bahriye Kemal
Mary McNicholas
Heather Morgan
Orla Murphy
Kareema Naser
David Nyaluke
Clodagh O’Sullivan
Dua Wahbeh
Yuhao Yang
The exhibition was developed as part of the Irish Aid-funded Praxis Project at UCC. The exhibition is part of collective research and was funded by New Foundations, Research Ireland.
Monday 8 June 2026 | 5:00pm–7:00pm
Introduction to the Digital Badge in Global Citizenship Education
Venue: ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building
You are encouraged to join us inp erson but if you are not in Cork you can join us online.
Online: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/363762195152863?p=ScI141Nul28v191kDz
This introductory session offers an accessible overview of the Digital Badge in Global Justice Education in Higher Education. It will introduce key concepts, questions and approaches in Global Justice Education and explore how participants can connect these ideas to their own teaching, research, professional practice or community engagement.
Participants who attend this session and two additional Praxis Week events may be recognised as having completed 50% of the contact component of the Digital Badge.
Tuesday 9 June 2026 | 1:00pm–2:00pm
Global Justice Education in Higher Education in Ireland – Research Findings from three year study at UCC
Those who wish to attend online should email Billy Goodwin on bgoodwin@ucc.ie
Online: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/370466154371296?p=1mvHGhE3wXZ0aOWm0j
Speaker: Dr Gertrude Cotter, School of Education, UCC
Dr. Gertrude Cotter will present research carried out at UCC on Global Justice Education, including student engagement, critical pedagogy, creative and participatory methodologies, and the challenges and possibilities of embedding global justice across higher education.
The session will include time for discussion and reflection.
Tuesday 9 June 2026 | 2:00pm–5:00pm
Financial Justice Workshop facilitated by Financial Justice Ireland
Venue: ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building and various locations on campus.
Please note that there is a change in this workshop due to circumstances beyond our control. The facilitator cannot join us.
Wednesday 10 June 2026 | 1:00pm–2:00pm
Partnership Conversations I: Palestine, Malawi and India
Venue: Online
Participants will receive the online link following registration.
This online partnership conversation brings together UCC colleagues (See below) and international partners involved in Praxis-supported collaborations in Palestine, Malawi and India. The session will explore partnership work, methodologies, learning, challenges and possibilities in relation to Global Justice Education across different contexts.
Contributors include colleagues from UCC and partners from Birzeit University, the University of Malawi and India-based collaborators.
Teams link:
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/328929170872844?p=CTlBX9jbanTqupvU23
Wednesday 10 June 2026 | 5:00pm–7:00pm
Film Screening and Discussion
Film – Concerning Violence
Venue: ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building
Concerning Violence is a documentary by Göran Hugo Olsson that explores anti-colonial struggles in Africa during the 1960s and 70s through archival footage from liberation movements across the continent. Drawing directly on Frantz Fanon’s (1963) The Wretched of the Earth, the film reflects on colonial oppression, resistance, and the role of violence in struggles for liberation. It invites viewers to consider how Fanon’s critique of colonial power continues to shape debates on justice, decolonisation, and global inequality today.
The screening will be followed by a facilitated conversation on how film and visual storytelling can support critical engagement with global justice issues in higher education.
Thursday 11 June 2026 | 11:00am–12:00pm
Whose Truth Counts? Lived Experience, Activism and Global Justice Education
Venue: ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building
Speaker: Dr Jody Moore-Ponce, Department of Sociology and Criminology, UCC
This session explores the role of “lived experience” and “speaking your truth” in contemporary social justice activism, education and public discourse. Drawing on research into the historical development and contemporary use of these concepts, the session will consider how personal narratives can challenge injustice, create solidarity and open new forms of knowledge.
At the same time, it will ask critical questions about the risks of individualism, performative activism, polarisation and the reduction of complex structural issues to personal testimony alone. The session will be particularly relevant to those interested in Global Justice Education, activism, dialogue, representation, knowledge production and the ethics of using lived experience in teaching, research and social change work.
Thursday 11 June 2026 | 1:00pm–2:00pm
Partnership Conversations II: Peru and The Gambia
Venue: Online
Participants will receive the online link following registration.
This second online partnership conversation focuses on Praxis-supported collaborations involving Peru and The Gambia. The session will explore interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, indigenous knowledge, sustainability, food systems, planning, education and Global Justice Education across different contexts.
Contributors include colleagues from UCC (see below) and international partners involved in the Praxis Project.
Praxis Hub Exhibition
Open Throughout the Week
Venue:ORB_123, O’Rahilly Building
The Praxis Hub exhibition features films, poster presentations, installations and creative responses developed through ED6082 and the Digital Badge in Global Citizenship Education.
The exhibition explores global justice themes including migration, care, sustainability, identity, representation, inequality, creativity, voice and social change. It provides a reflective space for visitors to engage with how Global Justice Education can be explored through creative, critical and interdisciplinary approaches.
Speaker Information
Mr. Lassane Ouedraogo
Chairperson, Africa Centre Ireland
University of Sanctuary Support Officer, Trinity College Dublin**
Mr. Lassane Ouedraogo currently serves as the University of Sanctuary Support Officer in Trinity College Dublin’s Global Engagement Office. In this role, he promotes inclusivity and provides essential support for displaced people, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.
A devoted Pan-Africanist and human rights advocate, Lassane holds degrees in Political Science, International Aid and Development, along with a BA (Hons) in International Relations from Dublin City University. He has also been actively involved with a range of NGOs, including the Irish Refugee Council and Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI), reflecting his longstanding commitment to social justice and community development.
As Chairperson of Africa Solidarity Centre Ireland, Lassane provides strategic leadership and supports inclusive decision-making across the organisation’s work. Originally from Burkina Faso — “The Land of the Upright Man” — he brings a strong commitment to unity, solidarity, cultural identity and collaborative action for more just and inclusive communities.
Dr. Gertrude Cotter
School of Education, University College Cork
Dr. Gertrude Cotter is a lecturer in Global Citizenship and Development Education (GCDE) at the School of Education, University College Cork. She brings a lifelong commitment to transformative, cross-disciplinary education, with a strong focus on social justice, human rights, advocacy and building sustainable futures.
With extensive experience in higher education, Dr. Cotter has a distinguished record in teaching, research and publication, complemented by the completion of ten postgraduate degrees. She has secured a wide range of competitive research and education grants and has led research teams that bridge academic scholarship with meaningful civic engagement.
Her professional practice is defined by a commitment to creative, collaborative and participatory approaches to pedagogy, research and active citizenship. This is reflected in her leadership of the Praxis Project, which engages UCC staff and students in embedding Global Citizenship and Development Education principles across research, teaching, policy and practice.
Dr. Jody Moore-Ponce
Department of Sociology and Criminology, University College Cork
Dr. Jody Moore-Ponce’s work explores lived experience, truth-claims, social justice activism and knowledge production. Her research critically examines how personal narratives and “speaking your truth” shape contemporary activism, education and public discourse, while also raising important questions about individualism, performativity, solidarity and collective change.
Her Praxis Week session will explore how lived experience can be valued within Global Justice Education while also asking how educators, researchers and activists can move from personal testimony toward deeper dialogue, structural analysis and collective action.
Praxis Partnership Contributors
Praxis Week includes partnership conversations involving UCC colleagues and international/community partners connected to Palestine, Malawi, India, Peru and The Gambia.
UCC Partners
Dr Gertrude Cotter, School of Education
Dr Simon Woodworth, Department of Business Information Systems
Dr Fionn Woodhouse, Department of Theatre
Prof. Manfred Schewe, Department of German
Ms. Carol Condon, School of Nursing and Midwifery
Dr Jenny Butler, Study of Religions Department
Dr Céire Broderick, Department of Hispanic Studies
Prof. Brendan O’Sullivan, Department of Planning
Dr Stephen Thornhill, Department of Food Business and Development
International and Community Partners
Dr Anwar Abdel Razeq, Birzeit University School of Education, Palestine
Ms Dua Wahbeh & Ms Kareema Naser, Palestine
Dr Chikumbutso Manthalu, School of Education, University of Malawi
Mr. Sukhesh Arora, India
Maria D’jalma Torres Sánchez, Peru
