Toby Gorniak MBE

Toby Gorniak MBE is a British-Polish Roma community leader, professional street dancer, choreographer, educator, social entrepreneur and inspirational speaker whose work uses Hip Hop and creative culture to transform lives and build stronger communities. Born Roma in Poland, Gorniak experienced severe discrimination and violence as a child before fleeing to the UK as a teenage refugee, arriving in Plymouth homeless, penniless and unable to speak English.

In Plymouth, Gorniak and his wife, Joanna, founded Street Factory, a community organization that uses street dance, Hip Hop, mentoring and creative arts to engage young people and address issues including racism, bullying, low self-esteem and social exclusion. Over more than two decades, his work has reached tens of thousands of people and expanded from grassroots youth work to collaborations with education, government and community organizations.

Gorniak is the creator of the Gorniak Method™, a human-centered approach to leadership and cultural transformation built around respect, belonging, emotional intelligence, creativity and the belief that every individual has untapped potential. His work has influenced education and leadership initiatives and formed the basis of the UK’s first fully funded PhD focused on Hip Hop, with research examining areas including authentic leadership, belonging and mental health.

In 2018, Gorniak was appointed an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to young people and the community. He has also received numerous awards and an honorary fellowship from Arts University Plymouth. Today, he works internationally as a mentor, keynote speaker and culture and leadership specialist, advocating for inclusion, human potential and the transformative power of creativity.