Make room for hope this Christmas
When Fusion first met Emily* six years ago, she was a bright and creative young person carrying far more than any teenager should have to. Home didn’t feel safe. School felt overwhelming. And the weight of navigating her identity and mental health left her feeling isolated from her peers.
Christmas is often described as a season of Hope. Yet for many young people in Australia, young people like Emily, it’s a time marked by loneliness, instability, and hardship. In the past year, Fusion Australia supported over 11,500 young people across Australia through housing and mentoring and a further 12,000 through community connection activities.
At Fusion, our work is motivated by compassion, justice, mercy and respect – values that guide us to stand alongside those who might otherwise be left out.
Image: Adobe Stock
Give a young person like Emily a place at the table.
Emily first connected with Fusion through our radio program and after-school outreach. When the pandemic hit, our teams quickly created online spaces where young people could study, chat, share art, and simply feel connected. Emily showed up to everything—art groups, online games, study sessions, chat rooms. It became her safe place.
But life around her was turbulent. She was struggling at home, dealing with family breakdown that impacted her in ways no teenager should have to deal with alone. As school and home life overwhelmed her, her friendships began to fracture. No longer able to cope at her school she left early and soon realised she no longer had meaningful relationships with people her age.
Throughout the worst of it Emily was connecting with our workers in our online space, and Fusion showed up for her.
So, when she realised she needed change and connection in her life, she reached out to Fusion again, this time to meet in person for mentoring.
Our team walked alongside Emily as she processed the hurt she’d experienced, rebuilt her confidence, and practiced new ways of expressing herself that didn’t cut her off from others. Together, we worked through the hard stuff. Slowly, she was able to repair broken friendships and begin to trust that she belonged somewhere.
Today, Emily’s life looks very different. She is thriving.
Emily has a safe and supportive home. She’s studying at TAFE to become a youth or social worker. And she’s volunteering —showing the same care and welcome to other young people that she once received.
She has a natural gift for connecting with young people, especially those who feel on the margins. Emily says her motivation is simple:
“I feel like Fusion has provided me a space to learn and grow, supporting me to become the person I am now. I’ve consistently felt supported through my time working with them and recommend the organisation to other teens in need of aid, a support system, or a push towards their own empowerment.
I know what it’s like to be different, and I want young people to feel like they can differ from the norm without consequence or fear that they’ll be judged for simply being themselves”.
We don’t want any young person to face Christmas feeling forgotten. Your gift offers real and practical solutions now and in the future.
We know not everyone can give this Christmas. But if you can, here are three good reasons your gift matters:
- Safety matters – Every night, young people in our community have nowhere safe to stay. Your gift provides shelter.
- Mentoring matters – Every young person needs someone to believe in them. Your gift connects them with a trusted mentor.
- Hope matters – A community that cares can change the trajectory of a young life. Your gift makes that possible.
If you believe in Hope, please give generously today.
Together, we can make room for hope this Christmas.
