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.
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.”
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 ...
Team
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...
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...
Board members
Mike Becroft
Trustee
Michael is an Art Director in film and been part of the NZ film industry since the early 1980s. Closely associated with Mixit since it was established in 2006, he was the inaugural Chair of the Board. He retains a seat at the board table providing a steady voice of reason, a wise overview and ensures the project remains true to its core purpose, al...
Sam Ramlu
Trustee
Sam is a co-founder and director of Method Digital – an innovative creative digital agency and she loves bringing stories to life through technology. A Fijian born Kiwi Indian Sam has been part of a wide range of cutting-edge digital design, virtual and augmented reality initiatives. She’s also been an active trustee on other boards in the film and...
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...
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.
Izadine Ahmed Abdallah
Alumni squad
Izadine joined Mixit as a teenager who was shy and un-confident but wanted to find positive ways to step up in his life. Mixit gave him the platform to find his voice and he quickly started to fly. He’s a great ambassador for Mixit, always encouraging other young people to come along and join the crew. Izadine loves Spoken Word Poetry and is always...
Kaviesha Abeysinghe Perara
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...
Laya Rasooli
Alumni squad
Laya is a Mixit youth leader who began participating in the Mixit project in late 2020. She loves Mixit's energy and cosy atmosphere. The friendly environment encourages activity and creativity.Laya is currently pursuing a degree in Architecture and a minor degree in Creative Technologies. Additionally, she works as a product marketing designer. La...
Selected guest artists
Yair Katz:
Musician
Chris O’Connor:
Composer & Musician
Jahra Wasasala:
Multi-Disciplinary Artist
Ebon Grayman:
Performer & Aerial Acrobat
Ilai Amar:
Film maker
Muhammad Ali Kanwal:
Musician & Performer
Sparrow Phillips:
Artist
Bianca Hyslop:
Choreographer & Performer
Chris Graham:
Theatre Director & Performer
Ella Becroft:
Photographer & Graphic Designer
Mike & Bronwyn Baker:
Ariel Acrobats & Circus Tutors
Don McGlashan:
Composer & Musician
Bert Van Dijk:
Theatre Director & Performer
Malia Johnston:
Choreographer & Director
Daniel Ortiz Rodreiguez:
Composer & Musician
Chris Jannides:
Choreographer & Director
Elijah Kennar:
Choreographer & Performer
Gaby Thomas:
Choreographer & Performer
Katy Parker:
Visual Theatre Artist
Eve Gordon & Dust Palace:
Performers & Aerial Acrobats
Helen Todd:
Lighting Designer
Tahi-Mapp Borren:
Guest Artist
Felix Becroft:
Performer & Musician
Emily Carter & Natalie Keane:
Costume Stylists
Ben Crowder:
Actor
Ahi Kahrunahran:
Theatre Director
Andi Crowne:
Photographer
Mel Bailey aka Kloos:
Performer & Musician
Megan Bardsley:
Graphic Designer
Katy Burton:
Choreographer & Performer
Tawanda Manyimo:
Theatre Director & Performer
Tama Jarman:
Theatre Director & Performer
Alexander Holloway:
Stage Combat
Paulo Rotondo:
Director & Writer
Margaret-Mary Hollins:
Theatre Director & Performer
Moss Patterson:
Choreographer
Eddie Elliott:
Choreographer & Performer
Sarah-Jane Blake:
Visual Installation & Designer
Justin Haiu:
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
