Occupational Therapy News OTnews October 2018 | 页面 49

INTERNATIONAL REPORT
communities to reduce the impact of natural disaster, should it strike.
Coming home and sharing these stories with my peers, and seeing
their excitement as they were reminded of all the different directions
their careers could take, was really special.
Sometimes, as students, we get so focused on assignments,
grades and rotations we forget to take a breath and remember why
we chose this profession.
Attending an occupational therapy congress where the highest
number of delegates were from African countries was a unique
privilege that I want other students to experience.
I swapped stories of occupational therapy education with
students from South Africa and compared our interpretations of
occupational therapy terminology. One student explained that when
she asks a client about their environment, she is not asking about
the nearest shop, or if their house has stairs, she is asking if they
have running water and she is asking about history; have they been
resettled?
This highlighted to me that our professional language is not made it all the more visible when elements of the congress felt
exclusionary.
Diversity can only enrich our profession, so it was a shame that
being part of the congress was only possible for those who speak
and understand English.
Additionally, I wondered why it was organised by an Australian
company, rather than a South African one. I was lucky enough to
attend, thanks to my RCOT award, but for the majority of people it
was unaffordable.
universal and made me think about the future of SPOTeurope.
Wouldn’t it be great for students to be connecting around the world,
not just across Europe?
This starts with some of the amazing people I met at the
congress, blogging about their experiences for SPOTeurope. also a way to have my voice heard about the future of my profession.
As Marlene le Roux said during the WFOT opening ceremony:
‘Occupational therapy means you must be an activist’ (Le Roux
2018).
I think that RCOT makes that achievable for all members, at
a level they feel comfortable. However, I also feel it is important
to collaborate and campaign alongside other professions and
communities and would love to see a congress like WFOT’s as a
multidisciplinary event. If we are too protective of our profession, we
limit our possibilities.
Winning RCOT’s competition provided me with a once in a
lifetime opportunity. Although I hope to attend WFOT 2022 in Paris,
the experience as a student in Cape Town will be hard to beat.
I met amazing and inspiring students and professionals from
around the world, who I remain in contact with. I feel grateful to my
university lecturers for supporting me, and so lucky to have had this
opportunity and to be able to share some of it with other students.
Thank you RCOT.
Who benefits from international travel?
Since returning from South Africa I have found myself reflecting a
lot on the culture of world travel within the UK and unpicking where
it comes from. I love travel and working abroad, but for a long
time have been uncomfortable with many aspects of concepts like
‘voluntourism’.
Does this passion of ours unintentionally link with our history of
colonising? I find myself wondering how we can ensure that we are
not continuing to benefit from this history, or supporting its continued
legacy, which still impacts communities around the world.
Before any future international opportunities I will be asking myself
the following questions, and would encourage others to do the
same: Does it benefit anyone but ourselves? Are we taking our lead
from local values or from Western ones? Most importantly, does it
contribute to the long-term dismantling of Western power, or is it
actually contributing to its reinforcement?
A journey with more questions than answers
Attending the congress has left me with more questions than
answers, but this means it continues to contribute to my
occupational therapy journey. It helps shape my whole way of
thinking, in a way that will positively impact my professional practice.
I have journeyed from ‘this is my occupational therapy thought
and this is my thought about its cultural relevance’, to integrating a
critique of everything I think, say and do as a professional.
That is not to say the congress got everything right. The location
of Cape Town meant that every time you stepped outside the
congress centre you were witness to real life examples of the
inequalities being discussed . This was incredibly emotive and
RCOT is an invaluable support
I became an RCOT student member to broaden my placement
options throughout my course at the University of Plymouth, but a
lecturer told me that the more you engage with RCOT the more you
get from your membership, and I believe this.
I currently consider RCOT my background support while I find my
feet in the world of occupational therapy, and I take up continuing
professional development opportunities in my area, but I know it is
References
Le Roux M (2018) ‘How to shift our thinking on disability’, WFOT 2018.
Connected in Diversity: Positioned for Impact. 22 May. Cape Town
International Convention Centre, South Africa
Ramugondo L (2018) ‘Healing work: Intersections for decoloniality’, WFOT
2018. Connected in Diversity: Positioned for Impact. 22 May. Cape Town
International Convention Centre, South Africa
Whalley Hammell K (2018) ‘Building globally relevant occupational therapy
from the strength of our diversity’, WFOT 2018. Connected in Diversity:
Positioned for Impact. 25 May. Cape Town International Convention
Centre, South Africa
Charlotte (Lottie) Walker, BSc Occupational Therapy, University
of Plymouth. Email: [e-mail] or
[e-mail] or Twitter: @char_lottifer. Link to her
blog post of top WFOT moments at: www.spoteurope.eu/blog/
OTnews October 2018 49