By Lucie Weston, First Year, History and Spanish
Filmmaker turned social advocate, Melanie Vaxevanakis, founded the 'Mazi Project' to challenge the growing marginalisation of young people, following the 2021 free school meals scandal. Based in the heart of Bedminster in Bristol, the organisation was a reaction to the public outcry on social media regarding the poor quality and small amounts of food provided by the government food packages for those receiving free school meals. This scandal highlighted the deep connection between youth mental health and wellbeing and access to sufficient food, forming the driving force behind the project’s creation to supply nutritious meals for all.
Coming from the Greek word ‘together’, the Mazi Project provides cooking workshops for young people, and distributes over 100 aMAZIng free food meal kits every other week. They also create community initiatives to raise money for the programme. As Melanie highlights: ‘food provision is a valuable way to heal trauma’, since the communal aspect of participating in cooking workshops, and having the choice of what to cook, provides an important sense of agency for those who have been marginalised. This particularly supports care leavers, asylum seekers, those recovering from homelessness and victims of domestic violence.
At age 24 Melanie founded the Mazi Project, recognising the importance of creating a network of youth support through monthly supper clubs and team building activities. Now this network links businesses that work with the project with those who are supported by Mazi, creating promising employment opportunities. Through food pop-ups led by those benefitting from Mazi’s support, these young people can demonstrate their cooking skills, gain advice from mentors, and earn profits from events.
As a Bristol-based organisation, the Mazi Project focuses on creating links locally to raise money with independent businesses and individuals, namely through the ‘Money for Mazi’ initiative. The Mazi Project teams up with Bristol chefs, such as Michelin-starred Josh Eggleton, to provide 3-course meals for £38 or collaborates with these chefs to teach cooking workshops. In May 2026, they also hosted a fundraising barbeque in the community kitchen in Bedminster. When talking to Melanie, she also highlighted the importance of teaching seasonality in cooking workshops. The Mazi Project work with local food producers to source their food within a 10-mile radius during the time of the harvest, demonstrating the project’s commitment to sustainable ingredient sourcing, as well as educting young people about healthy and nutritious seasonal recipes.
Lenny Osler
Through the Mazi project, food therefore becomes more than a simple necessity, transforming it into a tool to form communities and advocate for change in the treatment and support of young people in Bristol. By breaking the vicious cycle of mistreatment and malnourishment, Mazi helps to empower and ensure a stronger and more secure future for the younger generation in their cooking abilities, employment opportunities and network of support.
Featured Image: The Mazi Project
