Mixit is all about people. Meet our Alumni, our Youth Leaders and the support team that have made Mixit what it is today.
Youth leaders
Mixit has a dynamic Youth Leadership programme. This programme offers motivated individuals an opportunity to step up into roles where they face new challenges and opportunities to grow their skills.
Youth Leaders take on organisational and planning responsibilities, gain experience of creative facilitation skills, manage the digital media aspects of the project, have the opportunity and support to initiate events and projects that inspire them. The youth leaders are an integral and dynamic team within Mixit and work hard together to make a difference.
Oumaima Ahmat Abdallah
Youth Leader
Oumaima has been coming to Mixit for 5 years, and is the third in her family to become a Mixit Youth Leader. She is in year 12 at Mangere College and loves learning new languages, fashion design and watching Kdramas. After school Oumaima wants to become a fashion designer and actress because she really enjoys exploring her creative side, and wants ...
Sajal Taneja
Youth Leader
Sajal started coming to Mixit in 2019, and was appointed as a junior Youth Leader in early 2020. He loves coming to Mixit to socialise and build his creative skills. “I come here for enjoyment, at the end of every Saturday I feel like I should come next week, it’s the best place for anyone to enjoy, do, create and increase creativity.”
Team
Wendy Preston MNZM
Creative Producer/Director
Wendy has over 30 years of professional involvement as a choreographer, director, tutor, performer and artistic producer/manager. She has worked extensively with young people on performance projects throughout her career, focusing on cross-cultural and inter-disciplinary creative interaction. Wendy has collaborated with leading practitioners across...
Ekta Gyawali
Operations Leader
Ekta is Mixits newest member of the central team. Originally from Nepal she relocated to Aotearoa to compete a Masters degree in Business Management at Waikato Uni and then worked as the Project Administrator for Waimarie, a community support organisation in Hamilton. She loves having the opportunity to contribute to empowering young people and re...
Nicole Beer
Finance Leader
Nicole joined the team to both hold and develop our Financial Management needs. She brings an extensive background of accounting and financial know-how supporting a wide range of community and charitable organisations including Tuilaepa Youth Mentoring (who mentor Pacifica youth at risk), Hibiscus Hospice and the YES Disability Centre. She has also...
Board members
Fardowsa Mohamed
Trustee
As a teenager Fardowsa was a Mixit participant, then Youth Leader before she left Auckland to take on medical studies. She’s now a medical doctor working for Auckland Hospital with an interest in surgery. Around her busy professional life she is a respected poet, and continues to train in martial arts, she currently has a red belt in Kung Fu. Fardo...
Kaviesha Abeysinghe
Trustee
Kaviesha joined Mixit as a teenager before becoming a part of the Youth Leadership Programme. More recently she has become an active member of the Alumni, co-facilitating Mixit workshops in schools and in other regions around NZ. She is currently studying to be a Primary school teacher, after graduating with a Science degree and working in a labor...
Mark Easterbrook
Trustee - Acting Chair
Mark works as a Writer and Creative Director in the advertising and design industry, as well as volunteering his time for arts and charity organisations. As a creative thinker, he aims to join the dots between ideas and people to help build Mixit’s connections and tell our story. As a Mixit trustee, he brings a calm, optimistic approach to what we ...
Alumni squad
Mixit Youth Leaders graduate into our Alumni team. The team actively engage on many levels – as Ambassadors, on the Board, mentoring youth, performing for external events, creating music (check out our videos) and participating in continued training to creatively lead and manage outreach opportunities.
Ilham Akhlaqi
Alumni quad
Ilham Akhlaqi joined our Alumni Squad in 2021. She recently completed a Bachelor of Creative Technologies at AUT, and is currently completing her Masters. She hopes to pursue a career that allows her to draw upon her interest in technology as well as art and design.
Mu Nyay
Alumni quad
Mu Nyay has been coming to Mixit since 2013. She was appointed as a Youth Leader in 2018, and joined our Alumni Squad in 2021. When talking about Mixit programmes MuNyay said "I love it when I’m on the floor because I can’t think of anything but having fun and I believe that everyone feels the same way as me." Having graduated from St Dominic's in ...
Younis Ahmat Abdallah
Alumni quad
Younis Ahmat Abdallah joined our Youth Leadership programme in 2018, and graduated to become an Alumni Squad member in late 2020. He is currently working as a builder, and continues to participate in creative activities in his spare time.
Selected guest artists
Margaret-Mary Hollins:
Theatre Director & Performer
Daniel Ortiz Rodreiguez:
Composer & Musician
Eve Gordon & Dust Palace:
Performers & Aerial Acrobats
Gaby Thomas:
Choreographer & Performer
Bert Van Dijk:
Theatre Director & Performer
Helen Todd:
Lighting Designer
Mike & Bronwyn Baker:
Ariel Acrobats & Circus Tutors
Jahra Wasasala:
Multi-Disciplinary Artist
Sarah-Jane Blake:
Visual Installation & Designer
Malia Johnston:
Choreographer & Director
Ben Crowder:
Actor
Ilai Amar:
Film maker
Yair Katz:
Musician
Mel Bailey aka Kloos:
Performer & Musician
Alexander Holloway:
Stage Combat
Elijah Kennar:
Choreographer & Performer
Andi Crowne:
Photographer
Ahi Kahrunahran:
Theatre Director
Felix Becroft:
Performer & Musician
Megan Bardsley:
Graphic Designer
Sparrow Phillips:
Artist
Tawanda Manyimo:
Theatre Director & Performer
Chris O’Connor:
Composer & Musician
Don McGlashan:
Composer & Musician
Emily Carter & Natalie Keane:
Costume Stylists
Bianca Hyslop:
Choreographer & Performer
Muhammad Ali Kanwal:
Musician & Performer
Ebon Grayman:
Performer & Aerial Acrobat
Eddie Elliott:
Choreographer & Performer
Tama Jarman:
Theatre Director & Performer
Moss Patterson:
Choreographer
Paulo Rotondo:
Director & Writer
Justin Haiu:
Choreographer & Performer
Chris Jannides:
Choreographer & Director
Katy Burton:
Choreographer & Performer
Tahi-Mapp Borren:
Guest Artist
Ella Becroft:
Photographer & Graphic Designer
Chris Graham:
Theatre Director & Performer
Katy Parker:
Visual Theatre Artist
Global connections
Mixit has a growing network of similar inspiring creative organisations that work with young people and marginalized communities. We are interested in making new connections, partnerships and opportunities with like-minded groups. If you have a project and want to link up with Mixit reach out, start talking and join our global connections map.
CAN – Community Arts Northwest, Manchester
can.uk.comProject Phakama, London
projectphakama.orgContact Theatre, Manchester
contactmcr.comRichard Mille Replica
.richardmille.toOvalhouse Theatre, London
ovalhouse.comCounterpoints Arts and Platforma, London
counterpointsarts.org.ukCoHealth Arts Generator, Melbourne
cohealthartsgenerator.comMulticultural Arts Victoria, Melbourne
.multiculturalarts.com.auThe Open University for Refugees, Singapore
initiativeour.orgHelp us continue mixing. Donate now.
We are a charitable trust. The best way to support Mixit is with a regular donation to help fund our work. Donations to Mixit are tax deductible.
Make a regular donation, a one off donation, or get in touch to talk about taking a more personalised approach such as contributing to a specific project, donating your time, or making a large one-off donation.
One Percent Collective connects people who want to give back and do good things in the community. Mixit is one of the charities One Percent Collective thinks NZers should know about. One Percent take NO percentage of the donor’s contribution.
To find out more go to One Percent Collective
