OUR
TEAM

Nearly all of our team, including core staff, facilitators, workshop assistants and volunteers is led by lived experience of migration, with the majority from a refugee or asylum-seeking background. Our Leap Programme has trained up many of our community to become facilitators, volunteers and leaders.

Core team.

Ali Ghaderi: Founder & Director

  • Ali is a facilitator, youth worker and activist based in London. Originally from Iran, Ali brings over a decade of experience as a facilitator, delivering workshops around the world—from youth centres to international stages and policy spaces. He is a trustee for Counterpoints Arts, and has also worked with organisations such as Our Second Home, the British Red Cross, and Safe Passage. In his advocacy, he challenges racism and stereotypes and pushes for safe, legal routes to sanctuary. Ali is passionate about building partnerships, empowering young people, and creating spaces where creativity and community thrive. Ali also facilitates workshops for Babylon.

  • With a background in theatre and youth facilitation, Emma has been involved with Babylon Migrants Project since the beginning. She was inspired by her own family’s history of being Jewish refugees to the UK to volunteer with refugee youth movement Our Second Home, which set her on a path to joining Babylon. As well as youth work and theatre, Emma is an experienced fundraiser and events producer. As Co-Director, Emma oversees fundraising, finance, and impact.

A young woman with long, wavy brown hair holding a white disposable coffee cup with a green and red design on it, standing outdoors in a park with green grass and trees in the background.

  • Vanisha is from the UK and has over 6 years of experience in the charity sector. With a passion for social media, digital fundraising, and campaigns, she has worked both domestically and internationally, collaborating with organisations to create positive change in their communities. As a second-generation refugee, Vanisha is personally committed to promoting the rights and dignity of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. She holds a Master's degree in Humanitarian Action and is passionate about creating meaningful and sustainable impact in the lives of those who are most vulnerable.

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  • Mimi has a background in creative strategy, community arts, graphic design and storytelling. Having worked for years with refugee and migrant communities in Calais, and later Greece and Estonia, she became interested in how culture and arts can support people facing the challenges of migration and movement. Since 2025, she has been leading Babylon's communications to bring more youth-led creativity and warmth to the organisation's public voice. Alongside Babylon, Mimi runs the arts organisation Get It Done.

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  • Isabelle has over a decade of experience running creative events, facilitating spaces and leading fundraising programmes at international grassroots organisations and artistic institutions, such as Safe Passage International, Art the Arms Fair, Royal Academy of Arts, London Jazz Festival, Conversations Over Borders, Soul Food, Statewatch and now Babylon. She is committed to social impact projects and creative thinking, and loves finding connections between people, places and cultures. Isabelle also teaches yoga and is based in London.

Portrait of a young woman with dark hair and earrings, standing in front of a bright blue wall, wearing a floral blouse and looking confidently at the camera.

  • Sanam is a poet and activist who strives to use her creativity for social justice. She likes to explore her ethnicity, gender and sexuality through drawing, writing and discussion. She feels most inspired working with diverse communities and tries to create a sense of home wherever she goes. Through her work and studies, Sanam has specialised in facilitating creative writing, storytelling and drama workshops for children, teenagers and adults. She has worked with vulnerable youth in her borough, toddlers at summer camps, unaccompanied young asylum seekers, and care home residents. In her free evenings, she makes fesenjoon (Iranian stew) and cycles through the city for cups of tea and friendly conversations. Sanam also facilitates workshops for Babylon.

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  • Tash is an artist, facilitator, creative producer and the hub coordinator for Babylon Project's Stoke-on-Trent hub. She has over six years of experience working creatively with young people from working-class, refugee, and migrant backgrounds in the UK, and is passionate about ensuring access to the arts for underrepresented groups. She believes artistic expression has the power to bring communities together, remove stereotypes, build confidence and improve people's mental well-being. Tash was born and bred in Stoke-on-Trent; her family migrated there from Sligo, Ireland, in the 1980s. 

Facilitators.

  • Mehraveh is from Iran. She has been in the UK for two years, having been reunited with family. Mehraveh is currently undertaking a BTech in Science. She enjoys volunteering in different organisations and charities and is passionate about making new friends and gaining knowledge about other people with diverse backgrounds making everyone special and unique. Mehraveh is also involved with Springboard and Our Second Home.

Portrait of a young man standing indoors, looking at the camera, wearing a multicolored knitted sweater and a collar shirt underneath.

  • Ahmad is a young talented model, writer and athlete based in London. He has been featured in a number of artist video clips and brand photo shoots. He is a passionate linguist, who believes that languages are about more than just words and phrases but are essential and the bridge to connect with the world. Ahmad loves to connect with others to create a better world for all of us. And refugees should not be limited to big dreams, because dignity is for everyone. He is passionate, ambitious and has a love for what he does. His aim is to inspire and motivate others to strive for success and to reach their full potential with an inspirational and positive attitude of always never giving up.

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  • Amal Ishtar is a professional Oriental dancer and cultural tour guide based in London. Her social practice approach to movement and cultural storytelling allows her to connect deeply with diverse communities, using dance, history, and traditional music as a shared language. Her practice is informed by identity, cultural heritage, and her academic background in psychology, opening access to creative expression through a social impact lens. By sharing the stories of classic musical artists and bridging cultural gaps, her ultimate goal is to support migrant communities and newcomers. She focuses on using the arts as a tool for empowerment and connection, ensuring individuals from all backgrounds feel welcomed, heard, and at home.

A young man with black hair, sitting on a cream-colored chair, smiling at the camera, wearing a beige sweatshirt with red text and a red graphic logo.

  • Alvaro Guerrero is a London-based photographer and visual storyteller from Colombia, whose work is driven by indigenous leadership, cultural memory, and a deep belief in the power of art to connect people. Working across the UK as a facilitator, event photographer and portrait photographer, he uses photography as a way to document genuine moments, meaningful people, and the emotions that exist between them. His images are cinematic yet intimate, shaped by curiosity, light, and a visual language rooted in the warmth, identity, and resilience of Latin America. Alvaro is also a facilitator for Babylon workshops.

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  • Born in Syria and now based in the vibrant city of London, Ammar is a passionate and active actor with a flair for the dramatic. He is on an active journey on the stage of university drama and productions, and has been a part of Babylon company for a while now, and has felt welcomed and appreciated. He joined the LEAP training programme where he hopes to achieve the best results and learn to communicate with new people and help them best he can. Ammar is also a facilitator for Babylon workshops.

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  • Mehran is a photographer and comes from Iran. His favourite type of photography is Street photography and he has over 10 years of experience in photography. He graduated from Shiraz University in the field of fashion photography. He was working as a lecturer at a university in Shiraz. He has worked as volunteers at Harbour Project in Swindon also he has papered film and photos from them. He works as a facilitator and photographer for Babylon project. He can speak Persian and English. He likes Persian foods especially kalam -polw Shirazi. He enjoys music, watching French films and reading.

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  • Samson is a volunteer at our Stoke-on-Trent hub.

Two people working on a pottery project. The person on the right, wearing a light blue shirt and gloves, is shaping a clay vase on a wheel, while the person on the left, wearing a black beanie and a plaid shirt, is also working on clay, both focused on their craft in a ceramics studio.

  • Betel is a volunteer at our Stoke-on-Trent hub.

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  • Mohanad is a volunteer at our Stoke-on-Trent hub.

Volunteers.

ELLA TURNEY: COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

  • Ella is a linguist, human rights activist and refugee-rights campaigner from London. She founded Durham University Student Action for Refugees and works in fundraising for Asylum Aid. She holds an MSc in Global Migrations from UCL and a BA in Modern Languages and Cultures (French and Arabic) from Durham University. Her masters’ degree explored the use of digital technologies as a medium of preserving culture and diasporic connections in Palestine, and she believes in community and hope as resistance.

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  • Rotem is an educator based in London, with a background in administration and community organising. Committed to support justice and community initiatives. Believe in art and movement as a way to connect and build a better world.

  • Hanna volunteers with Babylon through fundraising support.

Advisory Board.

  • Rik Dattani - Chair

  • Vanisha Sparks

  • Moses Seitler

  • Rachel Sykes

  • Laura Dalton

Are you interested in joining our team and supporting young migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers in the UK? We are currently not hiring for any positions, however you can sign up to our newsletter to hear when we are.

We also have many exciting volunteer roles where you can gain experience, meet amazing people, and make a real impact!