Feniks was set up in 2007 as a charity supporting integration and aiming at improving the wellbeing of the Central Eastern European Community in Edinburgh. We seek to help individuals and families who have moved away from their homeland in facing the challenges which can result from immigration. Difficulties may arise in one’s personal life or work which necessitate contact with a therapist. In addition, deeper psychological issues may surface which require such contact on a longer-term basis.

The breadth of knowledge and experience of our professional team (gained both in Poland and the UK) allows for the provision of comprehensive psychological help for adults. It is hoped that the quality of life and personal wellbeing of those with whom we work may then rise to a level sufficient to allow them to function effectively and happily within society.

Feniks engages in research projects that bring to light inequalities affecting the Polish and other EU nationals. For instance, research with the NHS

Social isolation is believed to be one of the major factors affecting mental well-being of the the immigrants. Thus, the aim of our group activities is targeting this particular issue and creating opportunity for the participants to develop meaningful relationships. We organise groups for the particularly isolated people, such as young Polish young parents and Polish people of 50 and over years old. Our Leith Conversation Cafés, however, are open to anyone new to Edinburgh, interested in getting to know new people and conversing about the topics related to migration and adaptation to the new culture.

Since the Brexit referendum, Feniks has been representing the needs of the vulnerable EU nationals in Scotland and thus introduced the EU Settlement Support Service to secure their rights to remain in UK.

The key Feniks’s objective is developing social capital, which we achieve through creating volunteering opportunities and supporting career development of the young CEE professionals. FENIKS involves volunteers and we accept applications from CEE students for Erasmus internships, who are involved in running the organisation and delivery of the projects.

Feniks has been recognised as the counselling organisation by the Edinburgh University and we offer placement opportunity for counselling students, who can speak one of the Central Eastern European languages.
We initiated Polish Psychologists Networking Group to create a supportive environment for Polish psychologists, therapists, coaches and mentors for further career development and cooperation to the benefit of the community. Befriend Depression is an annual campaign of free workshops and counselling sessions for Polish people in Edinburgh and beyond.

We also work with NHS Lothian and Public Health Scotland to improve access to information and healthcare through campaigns such as improved health messaging for the Polish community, research on vaccination hesitancy and health screening uptake, while we will also promote COVID-19 vaccination uptake.

An important emerging part of Feniks’s work is the participation and representation of the CEE community in public life by attending the Cross-Party Group on Poland and partnering in the Vote! You are at Home campaign promoting attendance in local and national elections amongst the Polish community in Scotland. We further contribute to the Ethnic Minority National Resilience Network (EMNRN) by BEMIS, setup in response to the pandemic lockdown to identify the short and long-term needs of BAME communities in Scotland and to represent their collective voice at appropriate committee meetings of the Scottish government.

Feniks actively supports and facilitates research within CEE communities to identify and raise awareness of their needs and barriers to equality. For example, 2016 and 2019 research between Feniks and the Robert Gordon University identifed that Brexit is signifcantly impacting the mental health of EU nationals, while 2018 and 2020 research between the Scottish Public Health Network (ScotPHN), See Me Scotland and Feniks identified that Polish men in Scotland were 1.6 times more likely to complete suicide than Scottish menand experienced systemic barriers in receiving help.

Feniks works in close partnership with Health All Round, Respekt-Safer Families, Edinburgh Women’s Aid, Shakti Women’s Aid, ELREC, Polish Consulate and Police Scotland. We are involved in the research projects delivered by NHS Lothian Health Board and Glasgow University.

As the organisation we represent interests of the Polish community at the Cross-Party Group on Poland in Scottish Parliament as the leading organisation of the Wellbeing Subgroup. We are also members of Lothian Health Initiatives Forum; Equalities and Rights Network, New Europeans and Polish Professionals Network.