The Redefy team speaks at Princeton Public Library.
In 2013, Princeton resident Ziad Ahmed founded Redefy, an organization with the goal of challenging perceptions of teenagers about underrepresented populations, as a freshman at Princeton Day School. Redefy intends to pick a different underrepresented or misunderstood population every year and host campaigns to help build bridges of understanding between teenagers from those populations and teenagers from the broader community.
For 2014, Redefy’s mission is to promote understanding of the challenges faced by special needs children and working to integrate with those with special needs or disabilities.
On April 5, Redefy hosted a discussion at Princeton Public Library about RJ Palacio’s book Wonder. The book discussion was followed by a screening of Bend It Like Beckham.
“Reading a book from the perspective of a child with special needs really helps to put us in their shoes…Wonder really inspired empathy and understanding for those with special needs,” said Ahmed.
On April 7, the Redefy leadership team went to John Witherspoon Middle School to hold a Wonder program for sixth graders which included students from both the general and special education populations. They are planning to host similar programs at the Lewis School, the Chapin School and Princeton Day school in the near future.
Redefy is set to participate in the POAC Autism Walk in May. Their goal is to raise $2500 for Autism research.
More information is online at redefy.org.
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