Polonia Project
Zest is a voluntary organisation with charitable status that provides individual counselling and support to individuals who self-harm or are suicidal and suffering emotional hurt and pain. We offer individual and group support for family members and friends who are coping with the impact of self-harm or suicide.
Zest has launched a new project this year (2008) – Polonia Project – to support the Polish community residing within Northern Ireland. The main aim of the project is to recognise and assess the need for psychological services and provide support to the members of the Polish community, focusing on the issues of self-harm and suicide.
Regardless of age, gender, origin – we all hurt; we all experience emotional distress. Most of us find it difficult to talk about things that hurt. But there are times when we feel safe enough to open up. There are times when we let other people help us to find solutions to our problems and heal the hurt.
Communication is almost impossible when two people speak different languages. There are a number of difficulties faced by migrants. Some problems are the same for all of us, some are experienced mostly by the members of ethnic minorities. Where there are difficulties, there must be a need for support. This is why Zest has launched this new project to identify and respond to the needs of the largest ethnic minority group in the Province for support in the Polish language.
We offer:
- psychological support
- family and friends support
- listening ear / telephone support service
- information / education / training
- individual counselling (only in the English language)
Aims of Polonia Project:
- to recognise the level of emotional distress and the need for psychological services among the Polish community
- to provide psychological support, especially to those who self-harm or are suicidal and suffering emotional hurt and pain, and to family members and friends who are coping with the impact of self-harm or suicide
- to produce and disseminate suicide/self-harm information packs in the Polish language
- to plan and deliver suicide/self-harm training awareness programmes
- to network with established community, voluntary and statutory groups and agencies
Contact details:
Monika Kempa - Project Worker
Zest -Healing The Hurt
15a Queen Street
Derry/Londonderry
BT48 7EQ
Tel: 028 71266999
Mob: 07846976855
Email: monikak.zestni@yahoo.co.uk
Website: www.zestni.org
Funded by 