Cutting Through Isolation One Conversation at a Time with Colette Batten-Turner

Imagine going through your emails at work when suddenly you get a call from a distressed mother whose son has been held by Syrian Authorities and likely tortured for receiving money from a foreign bank account. His mum’s bank account. Who is currently a refugee in the UK. This is what a normal day can look like for Colette, Founder and CEO of Conversation Over Borders. An organisation that works to connect forcibly displaced people with the wider community to cut through isolation and ensure everyone has equal voice, rights and opportunities. Colette started Conversation Over Borders (COB) at the age of 23 in 2020 by helping connect refugees with English teaches. In this episode, Colette goes back to the beginning, sharing the origin of COB and how it has grown and expanded - having recently reached 20,000 hours of English lessons! We dive into what it was like being a CEO at such a young and how she navigated the space without an existing network. As well as the importance of staying close to the community you are serving so you are always responding to their needs. Topics covered include: Founding an organisation at age 23 Learning to accept help from others Setting boundaries and the emotional impact of working in the charity sector Fake it till you make it and learning on the job The power in hearing someone’s story to break down barriers and prejudice Responding to the needs of those you are serving The current refugee crisis and danger of the narrative in the media The film discussed at the end of the episode is ‘The Swimmers’. Hear members of the COB community share their story and watch ‘Prisoner of Hope’ here - https://www.conversationoverborders.org/our-voices   Find more information about COB here where there are a number of ways to get involved - https://www.conversationoverborders.org