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.
Shahram Qasimi
Youth Leader
Shahram’s journey with Mixit began at our Auckland outreach workshop in July 2022. Coming from Afghanistan and fresh to New Zealand with no friends and minimal English, he found support and joy in the session. This positive experience nudged him to dive and commit into the core program, seeking to navigate this new NZ culture. Mixit swiftly became ...
Arezo Nazari
Youth Leader
As a newcomer to New Zealand, Arezo was invited to end-of-year picnic in 2021 from other organisation, where she first encountered Mixit. Subsequently, she joined the summer project – “VOICES” in 2022. Originally from Afghanistan, Arezo initially struggled with homesickness and isolation. However, her time at Mixit proved transformative, allowing ...
Zohal Afshary
Youth Leader
Originally from Afghanistan, Zohal joined Mixit in 2021 when she was introduced through her sister. The fun and energetic atmosphere immediately caught her attention, and she decided to participate regularly. After coming for a year, she was invited to step up as a Youth Leader. She values the inclusive and welcoming environment that provided a pla...
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...
Kaviesha Abeysinghe-Perera
Outreach Leader
Kaviesha discovered Mixit in 2012 through an article in the Western Leader. After participating in the "Cross Roads" summer project in 2013, she became a Youth Leader, later progressing to join Mixit's Alumni team and eventually serving as a trustee on the board. Originally from Sri Lanka, she completed her education in NZ with a Bachelor of Scienc...
Izadine Ahmat Abdallah
Programme Leader
Izadine started out at Mixit as a shy and unconfident teenager, but he was determined to find positive ways to grow. He found his stride, first as a youth leader and then as an Alumni, inspiring others like him. In 2020, he completed his film studies at the School of Audio Engineering and in 2023 he earned a diploma in Entrepreneurship from AUT. H...
Board members
Mark Easterbrook
Trustee - 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 ...
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...
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...
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 Ahmat 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 Perera
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...
Ilknur Ozbal
Alumni squad
Ilknur joined the Youth Leader programme in early 2019, and the Alumni squad in early 2021. When she's not studying at University 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.
Selected guest artists
Muhammad Ali Kanwal:
Musician & Performer
Tama Jarman:
Theatre Director & Performer
Tahi-Mapp Borren:
Guest Artist
Chris Graham:
Theatre Director & Performer
Moss Patterson:
Choreographer
Andi Crowne:
Photographer
Mike & Bronwyn Baker:
Ariel Acrobats & Circus Tutors
Daniel Ortiz Rodreiguez:
Composer & Musician
Gemma-Jayde Naidoo:
Choreographer
Claire Talbot:
Garden Designer
Andrew Cesan:
Choreographer
Eddie Elliott:
Choreographer & Performer
Tawanda Manyimo:
Theatre Director & Performer
Sarah-Jane Blake:
Visual Installation & Designer
Malia Johnston:
Choreographer & Director
Felix Becroft:
Performer & Musician
Matilde Polard:
Visual Artist
Katy Parker:
Visual Theatre Artist
Chris O’Connor:
Composer & Musician
Elijah Kennar:
Choreographer & Performer
Maisy Conway:
Garden Designer
Yair Katz:
Musician
Miriama McDowell:
Theatre Director
Margaret-Mary Hollins:
Theatre Director & Performer
Bianca Hyslop:
Choreographer & Performer
Helen Todd:
Lighting Designer
Sparrow Phillips:
Artist
Katy Burton:
Choreographer & Performer
Julia Deans:
Musician
Mel Bailey aka Kloos:
Performer & Musician
Gino October:
Musician
Ahi Kahrunahran:
Theatre Director
Ella Becroft:
Photographer & Graphic Designer
Ebon Grayman:
Performer & Aerial Acrobat
Megan Bardsley:
Graphic Designer
Paulo Rotondo:
Director & Writer
Ben Crowder:
Actor
Don McGlashan:
Composer & Musician
Eve Gordon & Dust Palace:
Performers & Aerial Acrobats
Emily Carter & Natalie Keane:
Costume Stylists
Alexander Holloway:
Stage Combat
Chris Jannides:
Choreographer & Director
Ooshcon Massuers:
Choreographer
Bethan Marshall:
Artist/ Muralist
Katy Dugdale:
Visual Artist
Justin Haiu:
Choreographer & Performer
Bert Van Dijk:
Theatre Director & Performer
Ilai Amar:
Film maker
Jahra Wasasala:
Multi-Disciplinary Artist
Gaby Thomas:
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 today.
We are a Charitable Trust which means that all donations of $5 or more are eligible for a tax rebate. We send out our tax donation receipts each year in April or May (just after the end of the NZ tax year) with a little update of what we've been doing for the last year.
You are welcome to make a one off donation, either by clicking on the big purple box at the top of the page, or contact us to enquire about how to pay us directly.
You can also contact us to talk about taking a more personalised approach such as contributing to a specific project, donating your time, making a generous one-off donation or becoming a volunteer driver.
Our Friends of Mixit donate regularly, this can be set up with us directly, hitting that big purple box at the top of the page, or by following this link One Percent Collective and becoming a donor with them. Please ensure you select Mixit as your reason for joining.
One Percent Collective is an amazing charity that connects people who want to give back and do good things in the community with great charities around NZ. Mixit is one of the select charities One Percent Collective thinks NZ'ers should know about. One Percent take NO percentage of the donor’s contribution, instead donating 100% to their charities.
Thanks for considering us for your support.
