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.
Ilknur Ozbal
Youth leader
Ilknur joined the Youth Leader programme in early 2019. When she's not busy focusing on her Year 13 studies at Waitakere College you'll find her keeping active through playing sports and going to the gym. She is also interested in promoting the value diversity and encouraging people to be happy with their differences.
Faizan Loun
Youth leader
Faizan started coming to Mixit in 2019, and was recently appointed as a Junior Youth Leader. He is excited to learn new things, work with the Mixit team and to have fun with his fellow Youth Leaders. He says " When i come here, whatever is intense or unhappy, I let it all out. Everyone enjoys what they are doing and we are all friends at Mixit. I e...
Younis Ahmat Abdallah
Youth leader
Younis Ahmat Abdallah has been part of the Mixit family for 3 years, and joined our Youth Leadership programme in 2018. He is currently in Year 13 at Mangere College, and also studies Building at MIT. When he finishes school he hopes to become a builder and actor.
Team
Nicole Beer
Financial Manager
Nicole has recently 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....
Shari Lett
Project Manager
Shari Lett is an educator, curator and project manager who is committed to creating meaningful connections between people and the arts. Prior to relocating to Tāmaki Makaurau in 2018, she was an Assistant Education Coordinator, Indigenous Programmes at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, before going on to become their Archivist of Aboriginal and T...
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...
Board members
Hana Mender
Trustee
Hana went through the Mixit programme as a teenager, going on to become an active and engaged Youth Leader. She now offers an important perspective as an Alumni and Trustee. Hana trained as a Nurse and is currently working professionally in the Health sector. She is a smart and articulate voice, confidently representing former refugee background yo...
Susan Davis
Trustee
Susan has a background teaching and engaging with visual arts and poetry initiatives. As a trustee she brings a set of skills that connects the space between Board and Management and flows through to direct mentoring of the Mixit participants. Susan hosts our annual Youth Leaders retreats on her rural property in Northland and is a deeply committed...
Mark Easterbrook
Trustee
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.
Kaviesha Abeysinghe
Alumni squad
Kaviesha read about Mixit in her local paper as a teenager and ventured into the project determined to find opportunities for herself and her sister. She has always been involved with traditional Sri Lankan dance and discovered at Mixit the stimulation of different kinds of contemporary art forms and never looked back. She initially thought she wou...
Meg Sydenham
Alumni squad
Meg worked with Mixit for the first time on the 2019 summer project JUMP CUT as a creative coach. She is from an acting background, and recently graduated from Toi Whakaari. Her range of teaching experience is diverse: putting on plays with primary school drama classes, working with kids right through to adults as an acting coach for short films, t...
Munashe Tapfuya
Alumni squad
Munashe was brought along to Mixit when she was mid-way through a Performing Arts Degree. She immediately felt at home and recognised this could be her new fam. A performer and singer who loves music and dance, Munashe has performed on both stage and screen. She has also branched out and developed some business skills and is interested in growing t...
Selected guest artists
Muhammad Ali Kanwal:
Musician & Performer
Helen Todd:
Lighting Designer
Jahra Wasasala:
Multi-Disciplinary Artist
Yair Katz:
Musician
Tama Jarman:
Theatre Director & Performer
Andi Crowne:
Photographer
Ahi Kahrunahran:
Theatre Director
Justin Haiu:
Choreographer & Performer
Gaby Thomas:
Choreographer & Performer
Ben Crowder:
Actor
Sparrow Phillips:
Artist
Paulo Rotondo:
Director & Writer
Alexander Holloway:
Stage Combat
Mike & Bronwyn Baker:
Ariel Acrobats & Circus Tutors
Margaret-Mary Hollins:
Theatre Director & Performer
Mel Bailey aka Kloos:
Performer & Musician
Felix Becroft:
Performer & Musician
Malia Johnston:
Choreographer & Director
Sarah-Jane Blake:
Visual Installation & Designer
Ilai Amar:
Film maker
Megan Bardsley:
Graphic Designer
Daniel Ortiz Rodreiguez:
Composer & Musician
Bianca Hyslop:
Choreographer & Performer
Elijah Kennar:
Choreographer & Performer
Chris O’Connor:
Composer & Musician
Moss Patterson:
Choreographer
Eve Gordon & Dust Palace:
Performers & Aerial Acrobats
Katy Parker:
Visual Theatre Artist
Don McGlashan:
Composer & Musician
Ebon Grayman:
Performer & Aerial Acrobat
Chris Jannides:
Choreographer & Director
Chris Graham:
Theatre Director & Performer
Katy Burton:
Choreographer & Performer
Emily Carter & Natalie Keane:
Costume Stylists
Bert Van Dijk:
Theatre Director & Performer
Ella Becroft:
Photographer & Graphic Designer
Tawanda Manyimo:
Theatre Director & Performer
Eddie Elliott:
Choreographer & Performer
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.
Or set up a regular donation through One Percent Collective
