Blog

On January 25th, TSOS was invited to present to a group of approximately 50 faculty and administrative leaders at Utah Valley University (UVU). Specifically, they wanted to understand how forcibly displaced individuals might arrive at UVU, what types of burdens they might be carrying, and how the university could better support the unique needs of these students. UVU is the largest university in the state of Utah, and its leadership was anxious to discuss ways to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for UVU’s over 200 refugee students.

Just as citizens in Europe and the U.K. have heroically supported displaced Ukrainians by opening up their homes or securing other housing, assisting with school enrollments, employment needs, and language learning, Americans now have the opportunity via the Welcome.us Sponsor Circles program to directly help newly arrived Ukrainians. The United States has committed to welcoming 100,000 Ukrainians temporarily for a period of two-years and the ability to apply for employment authorization in the U.S. as long as they have a U.S.-based sponsor to petition for them.

A beautiful event for TSOS's flagship Utah Community Programs office where the impact of a diverse and thriving community shines.

Conference recap

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.

If you have a story, experience or opinion to share in support of our Afghan allies, we ask you to share it to help us demonstrate public support for legislation that supports and aids these individuals and families.

Partnering with Miss Utah and other organizations to create welcome and understanding in Utah.

Resettling into a new country can be more challenging when you don't know where to turn for help. USAHello.org makes information and resources available to those who have newly arrived in the United States. Welcome.US matches resettlement agencies' in-kind needs with businesses and community leaders who want to help.

Selfies with friends. Shurooq and Sasha enjoy shopping together.