FUSION EXPERIENCE

This page is dedicated to the youth and families involved in the FUSION Program, providing a space to share and celebrate our stories.

Fusion is one of the greatest camps I have been to. Fusion makes you understand how being multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and transracially adopted is important. Every single day we would write in our journals and write about what we did that day. But I would write more than that. I would write about having different races in my family.

One day Fusion decided to watch a movie with us called, "That's a family." After we watched the movie, we broke up into age groups and talked about how people could be rude about being prejudice and racist about different things. So please send your kid to Fusion Camp. They will learn a ton of different things!!

Thank You,

Daniela Rosen
2005 FUSION Camper

We live in Georgia and there have been some pretty difficult times dealing with people down here. I think a program like this would help children to build self-confidence and self-worth within themselves. Logan, who is only 5 years old, has asked many questions and the main one that stuck in my head was, "Mommy, why am I so different than the kids in my class?" We talked about how he wasn't different, he was special. A few days later, he came to me with a response to his own question that apparently he came up with on his own. He said, "I know why I am tan....because that is the color that God painted me." With him reaching that conclusion, he has been at ease now and doesn't seem as concerned about it. I would love for my son to be able to partake in such a great experience as Fusion. I absolutely commend you all for taking the time to care. When Logan gets to 8 years old, I want Logan out there to partake in the camp experience! Keep up the great work!!!!

- Shanna Schrimshire-Brown

My mother’s country of Costa Rica was giving away a thousand visas in 1969. After sending a telegram informing her friend in San Francisco that she was on her way with her lucky visa, my mother arrived at her friend’s doorstep the day before the telegram arrived. My father departed Japan and arrived in Arizona for a visit to play some minor league baseball. Unfortunately, that dream ended when he incurred a full knee injury. Thus, my father and some of his friends took a job in a furniture making company and moved up to San Francisco. But, let me get to the magical connection……my father and mother met one another while attending night school at Mission High learning to speak English. They married six months later. And four years later, they started to have kids.

Growing up in a linguistically challenging household was filled with arguments that stemmed from lack of communication and misinterpretations. By the time I entered elementary school, I sensed my parents unease in raising their children in the United States. My mother spoke to me in Spanish and sent me to Saturday Japanese classes. The result of my situation was a confused young child having a difficult time learning to read, write, and speak correctly. Teachers encouraged my parents to only speak in English. They listened. I now realize that the loss of their languages was the beginning of a major loss of pride in my family’s heritage and culture. I was becoming American and rarely spoke truthfully, if at all, of my heritage.

Now being a parent of a multi-ethnic child and having much pride and open emotions regarding my neglect of my own heritage, I encourage open discussion and exposure to his heritage. I want him to feel good about himself. That includes an understanding of where his historical background evolved.

Fusion to me is about giving youth a safe outlet to dialogue, to ask questions, to listen, and to explore. Fusion is an opportunity for youth to be aware, appreciative, proud, respectful, and confident of themselves and others. I am glad that this diverse and celebratory space exists for my son today.

- Kiyomi Arai

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