Written by Melissa Dalton-Bradford
This is how nonprofits work: You show up and lean on the strongest woman around. Meet that woman, Trisha Leimer, President of Their Story is Our Story. Our scrappy band of seven founding members (including @lizthayerart, @lindsaysilsby, @garrettgibbons, Twila Bird and Morgan Gibbons) conducted and documented dozens of hours of interviews with refugees in Greece and Germany over the summer, and those pieces are now being translated thanks to many of you volunteers.
Trisha and I are on the ground here in central Germany facilitating connections between refugees and locals, teaching German, and discovering on a daily basis stories among our refugee friends that we plan to bring to you.
Our artists are painting, editing photos, weaving together video footage, posting and reposting and putting all of this on our brand new TSOS website. Then there’s the whole technical and legal backstage labor involved....it’s huge, and it’s happening.
This pic was taken by Ali, our Afghan friend whose resilience and good humor keeps us smiling.
Allowing newcomers to work helps, not hinders, the economy
There are many misconceptions about the effects newcomers have on the economy. Granting newcomers formal labor market access actually helps improve the economy, current citizens job opportunities, and newcomer’s livelihoods.
One Does Not Choose to Become a Refugee
A refugee reflects on integration and how she feels like her heart is in two places at once. She loves her new city, but Kabul will always be the city of her dreams.