Building Confidence One Song at a Time

Creativity has a way of unlocking confidence, connection, and courage. Our partner charity, Mixit, is giving young people the chance to find their voice, work together, and imagine a hopeful future through music and performance.

Over Term Three, Mixit ran a creative songwriting course for young people aged 13 to 20+ from former refugee and migrant backgrounds. Together, they worked through the process of writing a song from scratch.

After a focused writing phase, the group stepped into a real recording studio to record their track. A big thank you to Aesium Music House for opening their doors and providing the space. For many of the young people, this experience was full of firsts. It was their first time writing a song and for most, their first time ever being in a recording studio. One Mixer summed it up perfectly, saying, “It made me feel like we’re famous!”

The project was about much more than music. Creating something together helped build confidence and essential life skills. The group learned how to problem solve as a team, support one another, step outside their comfort zones, and follow through on a shared commitment. Each Mixer contributed in their own way and received positive, non judgemental feedback from their peers. Even those who had never written a song or sung in front of others before began to believe they could.

By the end of the course, the group had created something they were proud of. They had pushed past what they thought were their limits and discovered that their ideas and voices mattered. It was an empowering experience for everyone involved.

Mixit continues to create inspiring and affirming spaces for young people, helping them connect the skills they build through creativity with their wider lives.

Planning is now underway for a summer performance in January, 2026. After funding challenges meant a performance could not go ahead in 2025, the Mixers are excited to be back on stage.

The theme is Hope for the Future. The performance will look ahead to the year 2050 and explore young people’s hopes and concerns about what lies ahead. It will reflect on what they want to achieve, how global politics and environmental challenges may shape their lives, what the rapid growth of artificial intelligence could mean, and how social media and declining connection are affecting their generation. Through storytelling and creative innovation, they will imagine future possibilities, both challenging and hopeful.

Hope for the Future
Performance weekend. January 24th and 25th
Pitt Street Theatre
Auckland

Visit mixit.co.nz for show times and more details.

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Words and images supplied by Mixit.