Do you work in emergency services and regularly engage with the Polish community in Birmingham?
This unique Polish Culture Profile Training is designed to support professionals across emergency and urgent response services in building stronger, more informed relationships with one of the city’s largest migrant communities.
Centrala Space 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 highlight a significant need for culturally informed approaches within emergency, crisis, and frontline response services.
During the session, participants will explore key topics such as communication styles, cultural values, migration experiences, and family dynamics that can influence how individuals respond in emergency or high-stress situations. You will gain a clearer understanding of the barriers Polish migrants may face when accessing emergency support, including language, trust, past experiences with authority, and differing expectations of services.
The training will also address real-life scenarios relevant to emergency settings—helping you navigate situations involving safeguarding, domestic abuse, mental health crises, and urgent medical needs with greater cultural awareness and confidence.
Most importantly, you will leave with practical tools and strategies to build trust quickly, communicate effectively under pressure, and deliver more responsive, inclusive, and person-centred support in critical situations.
This training is ideal for professionals working in:
- Police and community safety
- Fire and rescue services
- Ambulance services and paramedics
- NHS urgent and emergency care
- Out-of-hours and crisis response teams
- Safeguarding and rapid response services
By building cultural awareness and sensitivity, we can improve communication, reduce risk, strengthen trust, and enhance outcomes in emergency situations for Polish residents across Birmingham.
About the 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 extensive experience in designing and delivering impactful local and international initiatives. Her portfolio includes projects such as Art and Brexit – International Collaborations, In-Between Spaces, and Testimony in Practice. Her work is rooted in a strong commitment to equity, representation, and empowering migrant communities through culture, research, and policy engagement.
Project funded by Birmingham City Council Public Health