Sophie Tarnowska

Sophie Tarnowska is a dialogue and democracy educator with a focus on inclusion. She is the founder and director of WeDoSomething and Versus, a dialogue-building project that equips citizens to counter polarization in their own communities, and plant seeds of respect across lines of difference. Raised by journalists, she grew up spending time in Communist Poland, Beirut, Cyprus - places that showed her the value of communication, democracy, and peacebuilding. In 2015, driven by her family's refugee history, she founded WeDoSomething.org during the Syrian refugee crisis to offer an antidote to the powerlessness felt by people who read the news, and by the people who are in the news. She organized 18+ events to bring these communities together to foster inclusion, counter stereotypes and raise awareness and over $175k in donations for non-profits aiding asylum seekers, refugees, Indigenous communities, and more. In 2021, Tarnowska decided that instead of using her non-profit to act as a bridge between communities, she would offer Versus, a training program that equips citizens to become bridges themselves and to contribute to inclusion, social harmony and democracy. How else will we face the challenges & opportunities of our time, if not together? Tarnowska is a bilingual public speaker and former journalist with over 15 years experience. She has lived and worked on 4 continents.