Before the official opening of 103 Orchard, the Tenement Museum staff wanted to begin interpreting the objects of 103 Orchard in a public way. Your Story, Our Story (YSOS) was born out of this desire. The program was originally launched in 2014 as an educational curriculum and supporting website. YSOS grows out of the Tenement Museum’s long history of object-based storytelling, inspiring users to select an object that represents their family’s personal immigration story. Users then submit their story online, creating a digital exhibit of immigration stories which allows the Museum to tell a larger and more inclusive story of immigration.

Your Story, Our Story became a popular tool for teachers in the New York City area. Many of these teachers were already bringing their students to the Tenement Museum on class trips and saw YSOS as a way to extend and enhance that experience. Institutions around the country began to look to YSOS as a tool for engaging their own community in discovering their diversity and common history.