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.
Faizan Loun
Youth leader
Faizan started coming to Mixit in 2019, and was appointed as a Youth Leader in 2020. He is excited about learning new things, working with the Mixit team and to having 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. ...
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...
Nicole Beer
Financial Manager
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...
Shari Lett
Project Manager
Shari Lett is a community arts worker 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 Torres Strait Isla...
Board members
Tayyaba Akram Khan
Trustee
Tayyaba Khan is the founder of Khadija Leadership Network, the NZ Peace Ambassador for the European Muslim League, and a community development practitioner with over 15 years of experience working with the migrant and refugee communities in The Occupied Territories of Palestine, Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand. She has an association wit...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
Selected guest artists
Ahi Kahrunahran:
Theatre Director
Helen Todd:
Lighting Designer
Katy Burton:
Choreographer & Performer
Margaret-Mary Hollins:
Theatre Director & Performer
Eddie Elliott:
Choreographer & Performer
Muhammad Ali Kanwal:
Musician & Performer
Felix Becroft:
Performer & Musician
Chris Jannides:
Choreographer & Director
Justin Haiu:
Choreographer & Performer
Yair Katz:
Musician
Sparrow Phillips:
Artist
Bert Van Dijk:
Theatre Director & Performer
Ilai Amar:
Film maker
Jahra Wasasala:
Multi-Disciplinary Artist
Mike & Bronwyn Baker:
Ariel Acrobats & Circus Tutors
Ella Becroft:
Photographer & Graphic Designer
Moss Patterson:
Choreographer
Ebon Grayman:
Performer & Aerial Acrobat
Daniel Ortiz Rodreiguez:
Composer & Musician
Chris Graham:
Theatre Director & Performer
Megan Bardsley:
Graphic Designer
Elijah Kennar:
Choreographer & Performer
Mel Bailey aka Kloos:
Performer & Musician
Sarah-Jane Blake:
Visual Installation & Designer
Emily Carter & Natalie Keane:
Costume Stylists
Paulo Rotondo:
Director & Writer
Chris O’Connor:
Composer & Musician
Tawanda Manyimo:
Theatre Director & Performer
Malia Johnston:
Choreographer & Director
Tama Jarman:
Theatre Director & Performer
Gaby Thomas:
Choreographer & Performer
Andi Crowne:
Photographer
Alexander Holloway:
Stage Combat
Katy Parker:
Visual Theatre Artist
Don McGlashan:
Composer & Musician
Eve Gordon & Dust Palace:
Performers & Aerial Acrobats
Bianca Hyslop:
Choreographer & Performer
Ben Crowder:
Actor
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.
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