Mona Bani - ChangeMaker Chat #ICYMI - War and Refugees
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In this powerful episode of Changemaker Chats, host Amanda Tattersall speaks with Mona Bani, founder of Revoke, a London-based nonprofit that supports young displaced people arriving in the UK. Mona shares her deeply personal journey shaped by her parents' activism during the 1979 Iranian Revolution and their subsequent asylum journey to Denmark and then the UK. Her upbringing in a radical, community-centered household instilled in her a lifelong commitment to justice and collective care. After a disillusioning year working in the UK’s civil service—where she felt alienated by bureaucratic detachment—Mona turned to grassroots activism, notably volunteering in Calais, where she witnessed both the chaos and the profound compassion of people power. These experiences led her to found Revoke in 2021, an organization that offers holistic, politically engaged support to young asylum seekers, connecting fragmented services and empowering them as leaders in their own advocacy. Mona reflects on the emotional toll of this work, the importance of community and self-care, and the quiet triumphs that sustain her—like a former client now driving her home. The conversation underscores how personal history, radical solidarity, and systemic critique converge in transformative change-making.
Support young refugees holistically by integrating housing, legal, mental health, and advocacy services under one roof.
Community-led, grassroots action—like the Calais camps—can embody radical compassion even when imperfect.
The UK’s asylum system is intentionally hostile; true change requires challenging the system, not just patching its failures.
Burnout is real in social justice work—sustainable change depends on collective care, therapy, and well-being practices.
Meaning comes not from grand victories but from small, human connections and tangible shifts in someone’s life.
The Hidden Human Cost of Conflict
The episode opens with a critique of how Western governments fail asylum seekers, highlighting the rise of grassroots compassion in response to systemic neglect.
Mona’s Radical Roots: From Iran to Denmark
“My home felt so different to the kids I'd meet at school and go play with. And yeah, there was a sense that I guess as a kid, I sort of knew that.”
The Double Life of Exile and Identity
“I didn't know the words for revolution before I knew like nursery rhymes.”
The Civil Service Disconnect
“I actually remember on a couple of occasions walking out of our team meetings... going to the toilet and would find myself bursting into tears.”
Calais and the Spirit of People Power
“I was in a space where people with a straight face might just be like, OK, well, I guess, you know, we just cut this, don't we?”
“The UK’s asylum system is intentionally hostile. It is designed to be difficult.”
“I actually remember on a couple of occasions walking out of our team meetings... going to the toilet and would find myself bursting into tears.”
“I was in a space where people with a straight face might just be like, OK, well, I guess, you know, we just cut this, don't we?”
Host
Guest
Revoke
organization
Mona Bani
person
Amanda Tattersall
person
Iranian Revolution
other
Denmark
place
Iran
place
Calais migrant camp
place
UK Cabinet Office
other
London
place
Civic Power Fund
organization
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