Uniting Global Citizens Around A Common Cause

Rye Town Supervisor Joseph Carvin formed One World United and Virtuous in 2008, but the idea for the organization began centuries ago.

In the 1730s Benjamin Franklin wrote: "That few in public affairs act from a mere view of the good of their country [...] That fewer still, in public affairs, act with a view to the good of mankind. There seems to me at present to be great occasion for raising a United Party for Virtue, by forming the virtuous and good men of all nations into a regular body..."

The organization, a not-for-profit apolitical educational foundation, strives to create global citizens capable of solving the challenges humanity faces by fostering an awareness that human beings belong to one community.

As a graduate student at the Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Carvin was sitting with a Japanese student on one side of him and a German on the other, when he thought about how much had changed that they could be friends today years after World War II. While Carvin began to form the idea of One World at that point, it wasn't until 2006, after receiving an employment bonus, that he decided rather than buying a home in the Hamptons, he would start a charity.

In 2008, One World officially became a reality with the creation of the study circle curriculum. Study circles meet once a week for five to six weeks where, around a dining room table, new members discuss different issues facing humanity on a global scale, such as the history of cosmopolitanism, moral responsibility to others, and global ethics, with the idea that many of today's global problems—the environment, failed states and the economic crisis—need global solutions.

"We are challenging people's mindsets, and creating new awareness that all human beings belong to a single community," Carvin said.

Rye Brook resident Sam Marcus, who has attended several One World study circles, was drawn to the organization because of the opportunity to discuss subjects of local, national and global importance with a diverse group of people.

"Study circles and One World are a gift to the community," Marcus said. "One that we should cherish and engage."

In late December 2008, the group launched its monthly pioneer meetings where a guest speaker discusses one subject. One World also offers book clubs and movie clubs, which allows members to continue learning and creating a sense of community by reading books and seeing movies about global issues from different cultures.

While most of the organization's members are adults, according to Carvin, One World has started two school clubs, in an elementary school and high school  in Port Chester. The group hopes to begin more clubs in the future.

"Kids today are going to grow up in a very different world, a more diverse world," Jack Zaccara, the education director of One World, said. Zaccara became involved with One World after speaking to Carvin about how to get kids to have a more global perspective. He then realized that he and Carvin shared the same vision.

Zaccara says that the curriculum at the schools is intended to be apolitical, focusing on current events, geography, and discussions about other cultures.

Moving forward the organization hopes to create local action projects, bringing diverse groups together through community events such as voter education drives. The group is also planning to create a peace garden in Rye Town Park.