Refugee Speakers Bureau

Building bridges between cultures through storytelling

Established in 2015, this program of the Idaho Office for Refugees provides Idahoans who arrived in the U.S. as refugees with training to engage in public dialogue and reach out to the community. Participants share their stories in public "Neighbor Narratives" programs, as speakers at meetings and events, and at schools, businesses, and other places in the Treasure Valley and Twin Falls.

Request a speaker

To request a speaker, please fill out the form below. Please keep in mind that:

The more advance notice you give, the easier it will be to find a speaker. Two weeks is the minimum we usually request, though we will try to accommodate all requests.
We do request payment of a small honorarium to speakers for their time. Speakers are taking time out of busy work, school, and family schedules to be available at your event, and, for events outside the immediate Boise area, travel time must also be taken into account for speakers who are often very busy.

Interested in becoming a speaker?

Contact: Salome Mwangi
Social Integration Specialist, Idaho Office for Refugees
smwangi@idahorefugees.org
208-336-4222

Follow along with our storytellers:

LISTEN: The popular StoryCorps podcast visited Boise in August 2022 and featured several stories from Refugee Speakers Bureau members and others with ties to resettlement. Don't miss these conversations!