In September of 2001, Dr. Chang Shik Yang founded the Washington AIDS International Foundation (WAIT) in Washington, D.C. This organization goes to schools, community centers, etc. teaching about the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic through detailed power point presentations. In March 2002, Kate Tsubata joined as co-director, inspired to start a team composed of youth who are motivated to spread this message and model the abstinent lifestyle as the best way to stop the spread of HIV.
In June of 2002, WAIF met with a handful of Maryland youth ages 12 to 19 to create a powerful performance using the talents of each to produce acts composed of various forms of dance (breakdancing, hip-hop dance, and ballet), music, skits, and other performing arts all with inspiring messages conveying that each person can start a revolution to stop HIV... This was the beginning of the Washington AIDS International Teens (WAIT) team.
Since then, WAIT has reached more than 100,000 people through over 800 performances in the Washington , D.C. Metropolitan area and abroad. It has started teams in 10 other states (Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Massachusetts, and California) and internationally - in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Trinidad and Grenada. It has also traveled to many additional US states, and countries such as Israel and Korea, giving performances and training WAIT educators.
WAIT is a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization, thus it receives no government funding. It is funded solely by fundraising and grants. It is also a health education program.
Joining WAIT
AIDS does not discriminate, so neither does WAIT. We are not affiliated with any church or religious organization, club or ethnic group; thus, people of all faiths are involved in this program. WAIT does not seek to invite people into one religious teaching, but to act upon the clear teachings of all faiths - that living a life of deliberate purity before marriage and faithful sexuality in marriage is vital to becoming a genuine and contributing person.
The only common factor between all active members of WAIT is the heart of serving others. Talent is not what determines success on the team. All that is needed to be a successful team member is a heart of compassion; he or she needs to want to do something to help others. Time and time again, we have seen self proclaimed “talentless” individuals develop into powerful, gifted performers. This occurs when a heart of compassion is present, because the team member will want to develop his or her talents, not for themselves, but for the audience. As a result, the talent will emerge naturally.
Another crucial component of WAIT team membership is that of abstinence. WAIT team members choose to practice an abstinent lifestyle, not just to protect oneself from HIV, but more importantly, to protect others.
