About the Fusion Project
Our focus at the Fusion Project is helping new refugees become self-sufficient as well as integrate into their new home here in Lincoln.
Fusion also works on assisting the mainstream community understand the benefits refugees bring to Lincoln and how they can better work with refugees they may encounter.
Structure
Fusion is divided into four refugee teams; African, Asian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern. Each group has one part-time coordinator and several volunteer liaisons representing many different ethnicities of refugees residing in Lincoln.
The teams meet individually as needed and all the teams meet together monthly to learn and share information with each other.
Fusion is driven by the coordinators and volunteer liaisons, who are almost all refugees themselves who have lived in Lincoln for some time and adjusted well, but are still connected to their respective cultures. Without the refugees themselves involved in this project, it is not possible to understand how we can best help them adjust to Lincoln.
The plan for each of the four teams was developed by the refugees to help the rest of the community thrive in Lincoln.
The Plan
The plan for each team was developed in the first year of Fusion. The plans include newsletters in different languages that provide cultural information about living in America and in Lincoln, as well as information that leads them to helpful agencies. Another aspect of the plan is educational events held throughout the year that also provide information to help refugees access the services available in Lincoln.