Jason Wee

As a student at Princeton University, Jason Wee was part of the United World College Short Course in 2018. The course brought 31 students from all over the country for a week and insinuated discussions on identity, discrimination and conflict. Jason was astounded by the close friendships and understanding between participants of different backgrounds in the course.

After graduating from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs specialising in Race, Ethnicity and Discrimination, Jason and his two colleagues were on full-force growing Architects of Diversity (AOD).

AOD is a non-profit that advocates for a more equitable Malaysia and seeks to bridge communities for justice, peace and a sustainable future.

Since 2018, AOD has partnered with various local and international organisations, including the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, to design and execute opportunities for intergroup contact. Additionally, AOD spearheads diversity, equity and inclusion education and anti-discrimination advocacy. AOD has empowered over 500 youths through various workshops and camps to become agents that would advocate for more tolerance in society.

AOD remains a pioneer in diversity, equity and inclusion education in Malaysia through producing teaching materials and empowering educators to champion prejudices. One of the notable events for Jason was a camp run with Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia and Dong Zong, bringing students from different education streams together.

Jason has led various programmes and research projects on racial and religious misunderstanding, prejudice and conflict, focusing on strengthening structures and systems to mend Malaysia’s growing divide.

For more info on Architects of Diversity (AOD), click here.

In AOD’s work, we plant the seeds of change by empowering and investing in youth and individuals that are placed in various positions of power to challenge inequities and advance ideas for greater inclusion. To me, the impact is about breaking social cycles that manufacture prejudice and fundamentally distributing power to a diversity of people.