Spotlight On The One World Foundation

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It was this quote by Lila Watson, an Aboriginal Activist, on this organization’s website that helped me grasp the essence of their mission as a human rights organization: “If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us struggle together.”

The One World Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage young people from minority and indigenous communities to become actively engaged in the human rights and development arenas. They seek to equip younger generations with the tools necessary to affect social change on both domestic and international levels.

Founders, Tiffany M. Gardner and Dana L. Olds, had developed a passion for creating human rights and development awareness amongst young people long before the foundation started. After travelling their fair share of the world to engage in different projects supporting human rights and development and realizing that young people from minority and indigenous communities scarcely participate, they decided to establish the One World Foundation in 2005. One World provides an eight-week summer program for young adults where they can actively engage in communities around the world and where they can help effect necessary social change. Participants get assigned a partnering Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that works on human rights and development issues. Young Leaders will report for work everyday for the eight-week duration that they are on the program. This structure provides them an opportunity to really drill down and understand the issues the country is facing. The groups are kept small (6 – 10 people) in order to ensure a meaningful experience for participants.

LPS: Tiffany, how did your trip to Cambodia after working as a Corporate Lawyer prompt you to start The One World Foundation?

TG: I had practiced corporate law at a major New York City law firm for four years, doing fast-paced transactional work, before I made the commitment to leave the private sector and pursue a career as a human rights lawyer. I had educational and professional experiences in human rights prior to my time at the law firm and wanted to return to my passion and what I believe my purpose in life. After leaving the law firm, I needed a break. I wanted to give myself some space just to settle down and reflect … spend some time with God. I had spent time in South Africa after the end apartheid and was always interested in Cambodia, another country in transition. I was especially interested in how the country was faring after the Khmer Rouge, a ruling political party in Cambodia remembered mainly for the deaths of and estimated 1.5 million people under its regime through execution, starvation and forced labor. So I definitely did not go to Cambodia to think about starting a non-profit organization but while I was there it was one of the things I felt God had placed on my heart. My experiences in Cambodia were similar to that of Ghana where I served as a Crossroads fellow. On the Ghana trip, Dana and I were two of the very few African Americans that participated in the Crossroads program. In Cambodia, where I worked for a gender justice organization, Cambodians often expressed to me their desire to see more Cambodian Americans working towards the advancement of Cambodian society. Dana and I believe that discussions and policies decisions around social justice, human rights and development must include those who are directly impacted. So we created One World as a vehicle through which future leaders from impacted communities would gain the skills and experience necessary to have a voice on the human rights and development stage.
LPS: How did the very first trip that you and Tiffany took impact you, Dana?

DO: Tiffany and I volunteered together in Ghana, West Africa, in the summer of 1998. That trip impacted me tremendously. While I had previously traveled to Japan, Ghana was my first trip to Africa, and to a developing country. The trip was a powerful experience for me as an African-American and further solidified my commitment to a career in international development. The organization that I went to Ghana with probably sent close to one hundred students all over Africa that summer. I was struck by the lack of students of color taking part in this tremendous experience, which gave me greater insights into the reality experienced outside of America and my role in helping to shape a better world.

LPS: At what point did you know that the vision for One World was a cause you wanted to champion?

DO: From my very first developing country experience in Ghana, I was struck by the dearth of minorities and people from indigenous backgrounds doing international work. As I moved forward in my international travels and career, I noticed this even more. I served two years in the Peace Corps, Senegal and now work for one of the largest international development organizations in the U.S. Again and again, I have remarked that there is under representation of minorities and people from indigenous backgrounds in this field.

When Tiffany approached me with the idea of founding an organization to encourage more minorities and people from indigenous backgrounds to become engaged in international human rights and development work, I was immediately on board. There is a powerful possibility for coalitions of committed young people to effect social change and development on a global scale. One World serves as a facilitator of this coalition building.

LPS: Who are some of your partner NGOs?

TG: We have a process through which our young leaders select which partner NGO they are most interested in working with and match that up with the skills our partner organizations have requested.

In Cambodia we are working with five partner NGOs. One of the organizations is called Tiny Toones, which is an organization started by young Cambodian Americans living in Cambodia. They work with young people from ages 6 – 14 living in the slum areas of Cambodia on conflict resolution and team building through break- dancing. They also do educational outreach and HIV/AIDS awareness. The second one is Cambodia Center for Human Rights, they work on ensuring greater participation by Cambodians in the civil and political spheres of Cambodian life. One of their main goals is to increase participation in the upcoming national elections. Another is the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions. This is a global organization that works on issues around land rights and displacement. Displacement has been particularly disastrous for Cambodians farmers living in rural areas and those living in slum areas. We also work with Sovann Komar, an orphanage in Phnom Penh. Our Young Leaders at Sovann Komar are facilitating the orphanage’s summer program. They have organized activities for the young people such as swimming instructions and classes on Khmer culture.. The last partner NGO is Bridges Across Borders. Our Young Leader assigned to Bridges has been helping to facilitate their education program.

For One World India, the program is a little different. Instead of working with different partner NGOs we have one partner NGO. Our Young Leaders are working with the Rural Development Center. This is a very well respected NGO in India that focuses on ensuring rights for the Dalit community. Within the Indian caste system, Dalits are at the lowest rung of the social ladder, so much so that Dalits are not considered a full person. They face significant impediments regarding educational and employment opportunities. Historially, Dalits have been relegated to the lowest category of occupations, including gravediggers and those who clean the sewage system. What is really interesting about RDC is that a lot of the principles they use to effect change are based on the Civil Rights Movements in United States. So it is a really good pairing of our young people from minority and indigenous backgrounds from the United States with this organization. Our Young Leaders interning at RDC are working on issues from education, health, women rights to land rights.

LPS: Any particular qualifications you look for your participants?

TG: Often young people from minority and indigenous backgrounds have not been afforded the same opportunities to travel aboard. Therefore we are careful to not judge applications based on traditional criteria. Instead, we look for young people who are truly committed to making a difference. They may not know what human rights are, they just know that what they see is wrong and unfair and have a response to that. So first of all, we want people who really understand the need for an organization like ours and appreciate our mission with respect to building the leadership capacity in minority and indigenous communities. The second thing is that we want young people who understand that real and sustainable change cannot take place without active participation and leadership from those directly impacted. Third,, we look for young people who are committed to learning, committed to social justice and flexible.

What can participants expect to gain on a One World Summer Service Project?

DO: I am currently in Pune, India, where I just concluded our week-long leadership development program with One World Young Leaders and Indian youth. As part of the One World experience, we conduct a week-long leadership training institute for Young Leaders and their counterparts in the host country. As Tiffany mentioned earlier, we are working this summer with the Rural Development Center, a social justice organization dedicated to promoting Dalit’s (Untouchables) rights. The Dalit movement in India has drawn tremendous strength and inspiration from the African-American struggle for equal rights. The similarities in our experiences are astounding. U.S. youth of color have much to share as people who have had to find effective ways to speak truth to power for social advancement. They also have much to learn from members of indigenous and minority communities all over the world engaged in the fight for freedom and liberty. One World serves as their bridge.

Participants in the One World program can expect to gain a broader understanding of the world around them and the world system. They will leave with a greater capacity to effect positive change in the world, their own communities and will gain friendships and contacts that will last a lifetime.

One World’s Greater Good

TG and DO: When we first started One World we prayed and committed the organization into God’s care. We continue to dedicate the mission and work of One World to God. One World’s greatest contribution is that it serves as evidence that God is faithful and stresses the importance of putting Him at the forefront of all your endeavors.

To participate in a One World Summer Service Project in the Summer of 2009, applications will be available in January 2009. Young Leaders must be between the ages of 18 – 25. Adults between ages 26 – 35 may take advantage of an excellent leadership opportunity by applying to be a Group Leader. Continue to check One World’s website – www.theoneworldfoundation.org – for applications!

Tiffany M. Gardner holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a juris doctorate from New York University School of Law and a LL.M. in human rights law from Columbia University Law School. She currently works at the National Economic and Social Initiative (NESRI) as the Director of Human Right to Housing Program..

Mrs. Gardner has written and published articles on issues surrounding social justice and equality, including “Reparations to Black America: a Legal Analysis” in the Harvard Journal of African American Policy, “Radio Jamming: the Disarmament of Radio Propaganda”, in Small Wars and Insurgencies “Race and Federal Recognition in Native New England”, in the Crossing Waters, Crossing Worlds anthology and “The Commodification of Women’s Work: Theorizing the Advancement of African Women” in the University of Buffalo Human Rights Law Review.

Dana L. Olds holds a bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University. She has also done graduate study at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the University of Virginia.

Ms. Olds currently works as a project manager for Chemonics International Inc., where she manages the Burundi Policy Reform Project. Some of Ms. Olds’ many interests include the integration of information technology into the primary and secondary educational systems of developing nations; NGO-state relations; democracy and governance; microfinance and women’s rights. Her article, “Micro-Credit Social Capital and Politics: The Case of a Small Rural Town - Gossas, Senegal,” was published in the Summer 2005 edition of the Journal of Microfinance.