News from the Ground | "MixIt"
"This is the story of a small community initiative that uses creativity as a tool to support young people as they walk a fine line between their past and present and determine their own futures." (Wendy Preston, Creative Producer/Director, Mixit, 2017).
From Wendy's research looking at obstacles faced by youth of refugee background came Mixit, a creative arts project that has been running free workshops since 2006. Over the years, Mixit has become a fun space for not just former refugees but youths of all backgrounds to engage and participate together in a considerate and structured process that empowers and instils key values such as discipline, focus, respect, and inclusiveness. Using creative mediums such as drama, dance, music, visual arts, and others, Mixit aims to assist young people in developing and enhancing communication, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities and learning essential life skills while having fun. Wendy speaks proudly of the Mixit Youth Leadership programme, where selected youth are mentored to plan and co-facilitate the weekly workshops, enabling them to learn valuable life skills such as leadership, dedication, and a sense of duty.
In addition to the free weekly workshops during term time, Mixit has been running a summer performance project since 2007. The summer 2024 project was themed 'I AM & I AM', where young people were supported and empowered to explore their identities and create a performance piece involving drama, dance, music, and poetry within two weeks in January. The four performances across two days were very well received by the audience and helped inspire new interest among some young audience members in joining Mixit. The Summer Project was also another opportunity for Mixit Alumni to showcase and further develop their leadership, organisational and creative skills. Alumni are also engaged in the Mixit Aotearoa Outreach programme, a 3-year funded initiative for facilitating workshops to young people, developing partnerships, and sharing knowledge with schools, other organisations, and youth workers nationwide.
The Neville Kay Mixit Memorial Scholarship was announced in May this year, further expanding Mixit's support to enrich the lives of youth with refugee backgrounds. The ongoing scholarship fund was established with provisions bequeathed by Neville Kay, a former patron of Mixit who passed away in 2022. As per Neville's will, the scholarship is managed by Mixit to provide financial assistance to help young people with their studies and develop their ongoing careers. The three inaugural recipients are all in their first year of university. They will be not only getting financial assistance but also wrap-around support to navigate the tertiary education system, as well as mentoring support for overcoming challenges such as past trauma, generational conflict, and family responsibilities.
Through its core weekly programme to the various other projects, Mixit is helping build a healthy and culturally competent community better equipped to live in the culturally and linguistically diverse nation of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Any young person between the ages of 13 and 20 can participate by contacting the team at Mixit. No prior experience in creative arts is required.
Author: Dulani Abeysinghe, eCALD® Educator, Consumer Engagement and Co-Design Lead
Information about MixIt can be found at https://mixit.co.nz/
