READ OUR OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE U.S. FY2026 REFUGEE ADMISSIONS CAP AND PRIORITIZATION
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH DISPLACEMENT, RESETTLEMENT, DEPORTATION, AND ICE #ANONYMOUSAMONGUS

Event

Event

Invisible Barriers to Belonging: Their Story is Our Story Presents at the 2023 Idaho Conference on Refugees

Their Story is Our Story (TSOS) was pleased to present at the 2023 Idaho Conference on Refugees held at Boise State University on February 22-23. In alignment with the conference theme Creating Connections, our TSOS team addressed three significant invisible barriers that we consistently encounter in our work and invited audience members to think about how local community members might leverage their inter- and intra- connections to help Forcibly Displaced Persons overcome invisible barriers so they might achieve an equal footing in society.

April 17, 2023

Event

BYU Law and Leadership Conference

TSOS presented at BYU 's Law and Leadership Peacebuilding Conference on March 25, 2022. It was an honor to participate with scholars from Columbia, Tufts, BYU, the University of Utah and elsewhere. Discussions focused on how to find consensus and build peace in a time of division, and while the presenters spoke on very different topics, each came back to the same themes.

April 13, 2022

Event

2021 World Refugee Day Events- Salt Lake City

Come join us as we Educate, Integrate, and Advocate for Refugees in our Communities. One Story at a Time.

June 10, 2021

Event

2021 TSOS World Refugee Day Events

Come join us as we Educate, Integrate, and Advocate for Refugees in our Communities. One Story at a Time.

June 10, 2021

Event

The Story of Our Journey: Phoenix, AZ Showing on Friday, January 22, 2021

The Story of Our Journey recounts the journey of refugees worldwide through personal experiences of individuals interviewed by Their Story is Our Story (TSOS), and was done in collaboration with Dylan Findley, the composer, and Csaba Jevtic-Somlai, the principle clarinet in the project.

January 19, 2021

Event

Our First University Chapter at BYU and Debut Event

Six weeks almost to the day from when we were officially recognized as an on-campus organization, we held our first event as the newly-formed pilot chapter of TSOS.

July 10, 2019

Event

One Journey Festival 2019

In concert with World Refugee Day celebrations, One Journey Festival, whose mission is to amplify refugee voices and enhance public awareness of refugee talents and contributions, hosted its 2nd annual event at the National Cathedral at the end of June drawing more than 5,000 participants. TSOS was there along with 200+ businesses and refugee support organizations for the day-long festival featured music, dance, storytelling, soccer, a take action tent, virtual reality, speakers, refugee-owned food trucks, a robust marketplace, unity parade, and more.

June 29, 2019

Event

Covey Center Art Exhibit with Elizabeth Thayer

THIS FRIDAY, August 3rd from 6-9pm, Liz will be greeting exhibit-goers at a reception for her exhibit. You won't want to miss this exhibit - it's soul-stirring and powerful! And, to meet Liz in person, to hear her experiences behind the paintings makes them really come to life.

August 2, 2018

Event

IN · HUMANITY Art Exhibit - NOW SHOWING

These drawings and paintings represent an effort to bring you into another’s story. They are glimpses into the lives of refugees from the Middle East and Africa. They are only a few of millions who feel rejected, ignored, and forgotten. They want to tell their story. I want to show who they are. If you cannot stand literally face to face, I hope you will take this opportunity to look into their eyes and listen. Discover that their stories are actually all a part of our Story.

July 20, 2018
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What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2024, more than 123.2 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, or human rights abuses.

An increase of 7.2 million over 2023, that’s more than 19,619 people every day — roughly one person every 4.4 seconds.

They arrive in refugee camps and other countries, like the US, seeking the one thing they’ve lost: safety.

Fleeing political imprisonment, ethnic violence, religious persecution, gang threats, or war crimes, they come with what little they managed to carry:

Legal papers – if they’re lucky.

A single backpack.

Sometimes a child’s hand in theirs.

They also carry the weight of what they left behind: fractured families, homes they’ll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

They carry loss most of us can’t imagine – but also the truth of what they’ve endured.

At TSOS, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares their experience of forced displacement, they reclaim their voice. And when we amplify that voice – through film, photography, writing, and advocacy – the world listens. Hearts soften. Communities open. Policy begins to shift.

That shift matters. Because when neighbors understand instead of fear…

when lawmakers see people, not politics…

when a teacher knows what her student has survived…

Rebuilding life from the ashes becomes possible.

We’re fighting an uphill battle. In today’s political climate, refugee stories are often twisted or ignored. They’re reduced to statistics, portrayed as national threats, or used to score political points.

The truth – the human, nuanced truth – gets lost, and when it does, we lose compassion.

We are here to share their truth anyway.

At TSOS, we don’t answer to headlines or algorithms. We are guided by a simple conviction: every person deserves to be seen, heard, and welcomed.

Our work is powered by the people we meet — refugees and asylum seekers rebuilding after loss, allies offering sanctuary, and communities daring to extend belonging.

Your support helps us share their stories — and ensure they’re heard where they matter most.

“What ultimately persuaded the judge wasn’t a legal argument. It was her story.”

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, TSOS

Will you help us keep telling the truth?

No donation is too small — and it only takes a minute of your time.

Why give monthly?

We value every gift, but recurring contributions allow us to plan ahead and invest more deeply in:

  • New refugee storytelling and advocacy projects
  • Resources to train and equip forcibly displaced people to share their own stories
  • Public education that challenges fear with empathy
  • Local efforts that help communities welcome and integrate newcomers

As our thank-you, monthly supporters receive fewer fundraising messages — and more stories of the impact they’re making possible.

You don’t have to be displaced to stand with those who are.

Can you give today — and help carry these stories forward?

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Their Story is Our Story is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible. Our tax identification number is 812983626.