Poland: ICITAP Women’s Empowerment Team Partners with FBI and National Police of Ukraine to Deliver Wellness Training Event

On August 4, the ICITAP Engaging Multinational Policewomen on Equality and Rights (EMPoWER) Program concluded a four-day training in Krakow, Poland on wellness for Ukrainian women working in counterterrorism. This initiative aimed to: (1) Provide a safe space and personal support for female Ukrainian law enforcement officers to share and express their adversities in the workplace during times of war; (2) Provide specialized training to Ukrainian female CT law enforcement officers on wellness, mental health, and wellbeing; and (3) Provide a wellness toolkit and mental health exercises to share with their female and male colleagues for sustainable usage. Partners from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) moderated a panel discussion on the FBI’s approach to wellness to kick off the weeks’ events. Panelists included the FBI Europe Section Chief, FBI Legal Attaché to Poland, and the FBI Legal Attaché to Romania and Moldova. During the session, the panelists conducted a mindfulness exercise asking each participant to state one thing she was grateful for. During this exercise, an overwhelming majority of women stated that they were grateful for a full night of sleep for the first time since the war and were grateful to wake up in a safe and secure location that morning. This event was delivered with the support of and in coordination with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism.