Polish Culture Profile - training for professionals

Are you an NHS or healthcare professional working with Polish patients or service users? This free online cultural intelligence training will help you better understand the cultural background, values, and communication styles of one of Birmingham’s largest migrant communities—enabling you to deliver more inclusive, effective, and compassionate care.

Centrala is a migrant-led organisation working at the intersection of culture, wellbeing, and social change. We are currently leading work to address health inequalities affecting the Polish community in Birmingham and have recently published a report titled “Central and Eastern European Communities in Birmingham and Mental Health Support.” Our findings show a deep need for culturally informed approaches in health and mental health services.

This session will explore how cultural norms shape attitudes toward health, mental wellbeing, and healthcare systems. You’ll gain practical insights into communication styles, stigma around mental health, language barriers, and family dynamics—alongside actionable strategies to engage Polish patients with greater sensitivity and impact.

Ideal for NHS professionals in both clinical and non-clinical roles—such as GPs, nurses, mental health staff, health visitors, receptionists, and patient support workers—this training is grounded in lived experience and community insight.

This training will be held online via Zoom. A link to join the session will be sent to all registered participants on the day of the training. Please ensure your email address is correct when registering.

About facilitator:

Alicja Kaczmarek is the Founder and Director of Centrala Space and the Polish Expats Association, a pioneering non-profit organisation established in 2009 to support the integration of Central and Eastern European (CEE) migrant communities in the UK and to promote CEE arts and culture.

With a background in Sociology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, Alicja holds an MA in Social Policy from the University of Birmingham and a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy from Coventry University. Since relocating to Birmingham in 2004, she has become a leading voice in community development, migrant integration, inclusive project design, and research-led cultural programming.

Alicja brings a wealth of experience in designing and delivering impactful local and international initiatives. Her portfolio includes innovative projects such as Art and Brexit – International Collaborations, In-Between Spaces: Inclusion and Representation of CEE Artists in the UK Creative Economy, and Testimony in Practice: Working with Stories of the Self and Others. Her work is rooted in a deep commitment to equity, representation, and the empowerment of migrant voices through arts, culture, and policy engagement.

Funded by Birmingham City Council Public Health