YouthAids- Yoga and Hiv

http://www.yogajournal.com/extra/1462_1.cfm

Cause for Concern
Seane Corn joins Ashley Judd in supporting YouthAids and urges the yoga community to get involved.

By Mary Bolster

Seane Corn believes in karma yoga, the practice of serving others. That's why she's devoting her prodigious energy and enthusiasm to YouthAids, a four-year-old charity dedicated to preventing the spread of AIDS, particularly among young women and children in Africa and Asia. "Within the yoga community, there's so much compassion, influence, and money. I thought, 'How dare I not get involved,' " says the 38-year-old yoga instructor who lives in Los Angeles.

Corn has made it her mission to spread the word about YouthAids and to inspire people to get involved, if not in this charity, then with another charity of their choosing. "I want to really push the message of service and outreach. I want to inspire people to have a 'Yes' mentality." So far, it's working. "People have been beyond generous. The response has been incredibly positive."

Almost immediately after getting behind the cause last August, Corn came up with a fundraising project specifically designed for the yoga community. First she created a slogan "Off the Mat, Into the World," then she approached Gaiam, makers of yoga mats, clothing, and home furnishings, to ask if they'd produce the slogan on T-shirts made from 100 percent organic cotton. They were the first company to agree to one of Corn's requests.

From there, Corn got on the phone with the folks at YogaWorks, the studio chain where she teaches and persuaded them to prebuy T-shirts to sell in their studios and to donate studio space for YouthAids benefits in January and February. Simultaneously, Corn approached media companies (including Yoga Journal) asking for support to get the word out about this cause for which she feels so much passion. "There's been so much synergy," Corn says. "I'm hoping we can raise a million dollars."

YouthAids has a formidable team behind it. British-born founder Kate Roberts worked for the global ad agency Bates Saatchi & Saatchi in Romania and Russia before establishing YouthAids four years ago. In her varied career, Roberts has weathered Russian kidnappers and Romanian rock-star boyfriends. For years, she created ad campaigns for cigarette and soda companies with nary a prick on her conscience. "I didn't think anything about developing these ad campaigns, which sold billions and billions of cigarettes," she admits. It wasn't until a one-week stay in South Africa in 1998 that she paused to think about saving lives rather than contributing to ending them. Before South Africa, Roberts says she knew next to nothing about AIDS. When she saw a funeral on every corner, she couldn't figure out why. "I asked around and was told the plague is AIDS. It's killing the next generation. One in four girls is infected and won't reach their 21st year." That was more than enough for Roberts. She cut her vacation short, reached out to her vast network of contacts, and launched YouthAids. "This is what I have to do. This is my calling," she says.

In following her calling, Roberts has enlisted other passionate disciples, one of whom is the actor Ashley Judd. "She is our global ambassador, our face, our voice, our advocate," says Roberts. Judd has been with the organization for almost three years now and regularly travels to Asia and Africa to meet with AIDS patients, educate people and spread awareness about the disease, fight for women's rights, and help remove the stigma of this illness. She also hosts a large fundraising event each year in New York. "There's no limit to her involvement," says Roberts. "She has an extremely hopeful and positive spirit. Ashley does it for the right reasons and you can tell."

Corn, who happens to be one of Ashley Judd's yoga teachers and first heard of YouthAids from her, can vouch for that. "Watching Ashley talk about YouthAids and knowing her intention really inspired me," she says. "Ashley has given so much to both YouthAids and the yoga community. She's happy that the two loves of her life—yoga and outreach—have come together. She's really present. Her commitment is here."

(I will also note that Ashley Judd's mother, Naomi Judd of the singing group The Judds, was infected (now cured) with Hepatitis C and has done much charitable work in that area. -Willy)