West Sussex Mind is reaching out to the Polish communities of Littlehampton and Worthing, offering language assistance to get support and translated mental health resources.
Polish people make up the second largest ethnic group in West Sussex, but West Sussex Mind was aware that few Poles were currently getting mental health support through its services.
As part of its communities and inclusion work, West Sussex Mind wanted to change and therefore began a project to raise awareness about its services among Polish communities, give practical help accessing support and understand more about what Polish people need.
The project began in September 2021 with the appointment of Kasia Racey as West Sussex Mind’s Polish mental health community outreach and development worker. Kasia came to the UK from Poland ten years ago and now lives locally with her family.
Kasia has been busy building links with schools, workplaces where Poles work, community groups and Polish shops and services, such as hairdressers, across Littlehampton and Worthing. She is spreading the word about what West Sussex Mind can offer and partnering with other community organisations.
Kasia says that it can sometimes be difficult for Poles to seek help if they are struggling with how they are feeling.
“Firstly, there is a cultural barrier – people find it hard to talk about mental health in Poland. There is little awareness or support available and there is a lot of stigma around mental health. Secondly, there is a language barrier, which makes getting help doubly hard. Getting support inevitably involves lots of talking and this can be difficult if your first language isn’t English.”
The West Sussex Mind project offers help for people who might want to get support through translated resources and language assistance to introduce people to its services. It can also arrange translation.
If you are Polish and would like help to access support from West Sussex Mind, or for more information about this project, contact Kasia on 07494 055440 or email kasia.racey@westsussexmind.org
See West Sussex Mind’s resources for the Polish community here – in English and Polish.
