Adding capacity, confidence and direction

For The Babylon Project, supporting young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds means creating safe, creative spaces. Whether it’s art, dance, theatre, film or other creative outlets, behind the Babylon workshops sits a constant challenge: building the structure, strategy, and capacity needed to grow. As a small organisation, finding the right expertise at the right time can be difficult but is critical if it is to continue providing support for thousands of young people.

Ali Ghaderi, Founder and Director of The Babylon Project explains:

“When we started The Babylon Project, we were building everything from scratch. As a small organisation, you are the director, the fundraiser, the communications lead - you do everything yourself. And at the same time, you’re trying to create meaningful programmes for young people who have experienced migration and displacement. It’s a lot to carry, especially when resources are limited.

“Finding Reach changed that for us. I came across the platform through a mix of recommendations, LinkedIn, and my own research - and what stood out straight away was the ability to connect with people who had real, professional expertise. For us, that was critical.

“We made a decision early on that we wanted all our volunteers to come through Reach. We wanted one place where we could find people who not only had the right skills, but also shared our values. The platform made that possible. You can see what people have done, what they care about, and what they’re looking for and this helped us make thoughtful, purposeful connections rather than just filling roles.

From fundraising to strategic direction 

“The impact has been huge. One of the first key volunteers we found was a fundraising specialist. At that stage, fundraising was one of our biggest challenges. Through his support, we secured our largest grant, which directly enabled us to grow - including launching our Stoke hub. That was a turning point for the organisation.

“More recently, we recruited the chair of our advisory board through Reach. Even though we’re not a charity, our advisory board plays a similar role to trustees, providing guidance, challenge, and strategic direction. The contribution from our chair has been incredible. He’s helped us shape our strategy, think more clearly about our future, and connect our work to a bigger vision. That kind of strategic input is something we simply wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise.

“And it’s not just those long-term roles. Even volunteers who joined us for shorter periods have made a difference. Sometimes it’s about creating something we didn’t have before - a piece of communication, a system, a resource - and that alone lifts a huge weight. It frees up time and energy so we can focus on delivering for the young people we support.

A combination of skills and purpose

“What Reach does really well is bring together people who are not only skilled, but also motivated by purpose. You’re not just finding someone to do a task, you’re finding someone who believes in what you’re trying to do. That makes the relationship stronger and the impact deeper.

“Honestly, without Reach, I don’t think we would have been able to continue in the way that we have. It has been that important to our journey. It helped us meet people who could step in at critical moments and move us forward.

“Now, as we grow, Reach is still the first place we go. We’re currently looking for new expertise, and I can’t think of anywhere else that offers the same combination of skills, values, and accessibility. There are so many people on the platform with experience we could never afford otherwise.

“For organisations like ours, that’s so important. It’s not just about support in the moment, it’s about building something sustainable. Every skills-based volunteer adds capacity, confidence, and direction. And over time, that impact builds.

“Reach isn’t just a platform for us, it’s been part of how we’ve been able to grow, adapt, and keep going.”