Like many local festivals, FUSE Fest combines art, music, entertainment and culture to build community.
But, the annual event by Teens With a Purpose isn’t in Ghent, Town Point Park or the Oceanfront, the usual gathering spots.
FUSE Fest on Saturday at Purpose Park, just off Church Street and East Olney Road, showcases the residents and businesses of Young Terrace, Huntersville and the former Tidewater Gardens housing complex, which was razed by the city in 2022.
These lower-income Norfolk neighborhoods often make news for the wrong reasons. Growing up, Malik Jordan was aware of the high crime rates associated with his neighborhood, Young Terrace.
“My community didn’t do things together,” he said.
Thirteen years ago, he was among a handful of teens involved in planning the first FUSE Fest, which attracted 200 people. FUSE Fest has become the signature event for TWP, a nonprofit that offers free summer camps and afterschool programs to support young people in raising social awareness through art, poetry and music.
“The first year it felt so organic, so loving, to see so many people coming together,” said Jordan, now on TWP’s staff. “It was dope to see my community doing art together, dance together, eating healthy food together.”
This year’s event, from noon to 6 p.m., is expected to attract more than 2,000 and is centered around FUSE — focus, unity, spirit and “edutainment.” But there’s another important element, said Michelle Sims, co-executive director of TWP.
“The meat of it is empowerment sessions where community members can get conflict resolution skills, voter registration, HIV testing,” she said. “We’re responding to what the community needs.”
Like many nonprofits, TWP is facing increased demand while receiving less funding under the administration of President Donald Trump. The recent loss of a $250,000 federal grant eliminated more than a quarter of its budget.
“That was a huge hit,” Sims said.
The theme of FUSE Fest, “Unseen to Unstoppable: Real Stories. Real Strength. New Realities,” developed by teens, speaks to the people and communities rising from being overlooked to becoming forces of change.
“This year, people are really focusing on the unseen part,” Sims said. “They feel they’re not being seen when all these programs and benefits that directly impact them are being slashed.”
Deirdre Love founded TWP in 1996; her son, Andre Love, is a co-executive director.
“You feel right now that there’s a charge of necessity when it comes to us coming together,” he said. “You see and feel it with young people yearning for a togetherness and yearning for space to be seen and heard.”
Sims describes the area as a “food desert” because of the limited grocery options. So, TWP built a community garden in Purpose Park, across the street from its center, with more than 20 fruit, vegetable and herb beds. It was established with the help of Norfolk’s Master Gardeners.
Andre Love became a master gardener and trains teens about caring for the garden. They’ve built a pond, rain and butterfly gardens, and space for art.
“It’s a beautiful place to be,” he said.
While the festival is only one day, it creates pathways for providing resources throughout the year because of the community partners.
The Virginia Department of Health offered a mobile testing clinic last year, which provided screenings and immunizations throughout the year. Chefs at FUSE Fest will give demos on using fresh herbs and vegetables.
“We wanted the festival to touch on a lot of different areas because there are a lot of health disparities here,” Sims said, referring to higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and violence.
Other partners include the Virginia Arts Festival, the city of Norfolk, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Norfolk Botanical Garden. Walmart contributes back-to-school supplies.
Several musical acts will perform Saturday, including The TFC Band from Virginia Beach, lyrical storyteller Marvin Parker and young artists and musicians nurtured by TWP.
Yoga, healing circles, fitness dancing and a tricycle race are part of the festivities. A youth-led vendor village and a community vendor village will be in the mix.
Doran Glass III, a senior peer leader at TWP and Virginia’s 2025 Youth Poet Laureate, will perform. He started attending the festival in his middle school years when he tagged along with his mom.
“People from all across the city and all different neighborhoods come,” Glass said. “They’ll walk in from Young’s, from Calvert Square, from Berkley. Where usually there’d be a whole bunch of problems with people from those different neighborhoods, it’s always a good time.”
Glass works with the teens on performing, which involves bringing their poetry to life.
“I’ve never been to a FUSE Fest in all these years that wasn’t live and fun to be at,” he said. “FUSE Fest is a good melting pot for the block to get together and have a good time.”
Purpose Park is at 800 Church St. Visit twp-themovement.org for more information.
