“OTM jumpstarted my vision and will continue to inspire my work in the field.”

—Elie Losleben

Click here to sign the Intention Statement and you will receive a full packet of information to support you in your leadership challenge.

Your goal is to raise $20,000 by December 15, 2010, to support sustainable community programs in South Africa. If you reach this goal, you will be invited to participate in the Bare Witness Humanitarian Tour to South Africa.

Direct community support: up to 80% of the funds raised will support creation and sustainability of partner projects in South Africa.

Seva participant travel for tour: 5% support for air and ground travel, accommodations and trip facilitation for two weeks for each Bare Witness Tour participant.

OTM administrative and Urban Seva Support: remaining funds support continued expansion and sustainability of the Urban Seva Project, as well as administrative support for all OTM programs and projects.

The purpose of the tour is three-fold:

• To create permanent, significant and sustainable change in the lives of some of the world’s most impoverished children.
• To cultivate an experience of purpose, community and action through the integration of yoga and direct service.
• To find individuals in the yoga community capable of building teams and becoming leaders of social change.

OTM is looking for community leaders to inspire others to engage in action for social change. The Seva Challenge aims to discover those in the community who have the determination, creativity and commitment to initiate their own fund/awareness raising efforts. The “Bare Witness” opportunity is a reward for those individuals who successfully reach their goal. The tour will be a transforming experience for both them and the children they will connect with in Africa.

Following the tour, OTM will be selecting a leadership team to continue to build the Off the Mat program. Your participation on this trip qualifies you to be considered for that team.

Each Seva Challenge participant who reaches the $20,000 fundraising target will be invited to join our Bare Witness Journey to South Africa.

The journey takes place February 5 - 19, 2011.

OTM aims to take a minimum of 20 Seva participants on the tour. If more people reach their fundraising goal, we will take multiple trips to Uganda. The first group of twenty will travel to Uganda, February 5-19th. The second trip will take place immediately after the first trip ends. If there is a need for a third trip, we will journey back to Africa at some point in the fall. The groups will be determined by the order in which the money is received.

OTM will cover the following costs for each tour participant:

• AIR TRAVEL
  We will be organizing round-trip airfare out of New York, Los Angeles and London. You will be responsible for getting to one of these cities. Those individuals who are not located in one of these cities will be given up to $500 to get to one of the three cities for departure. Travel insurance will also be provided.
• GROUND TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS
  Accommodations and all meals will be provided. In addition, transportation to and from the airport, all sightseeing trips, security, and daily transportation will be provided.
• YOGA AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING
  T here will be one yoga class each day, evening workshops, and additional leadership training. We will also provide follow-up support after the trip for full integration of the experience.

No, only one person will be able to participate in the tour.

If you are interested in taking both challenges, you’ll need to sign two different intention forms (since they are different challenges). If you raise funds for the global challenge, the money raised will not be able to be transferred to the urban challenge (and vice versa) since we’ll be earmarking the money that comes in for each of the two challenges and distributing it throughout the year to the different organizations.

While we have been moved by the incredible generosity that participants have offered in the past, we have decided to discontinue the “pay it forward” campaign in order to be able to offer more money to the organizations that so desperately need our support. This change will insure that we offer the majority of the funds raised to our selected charities instead of using the funds for the cost of the trip.  The cost for each participant to go on the trip is approximately 5k (including airfare) and we have decided it would be best to offer those additional funds toward direct humanitarian aid rather than more participants coming on the trip with us.  This is difficult for us but seems to make the most financial sense in the long run. Whether you reach the 20k or not, we on the OTM team are eternally grateful for all of your efforts and will do our best to support each of you in your evolution as a yoga and activism leader.

Participants typically stay in five star accommodations and travel daily for fieldwork.

• Daily yoga practice and facilitated exercises for integration of the experience.
• Exploration of Cape Town including District 6 and townships– learning about the Apartheid era and forced relocations and hearing personal stories from local citizens.
• Visit to Robben Island and the notorious prison – home to former President Nelson Mandela for 17 years. The island provides an insight into South Africa’s Apartheid history as well as a glimpse into the future especially concerning racial reconciliation. The prison guides are all ex-political prisoners of the island and will share their experiences of prison life during Apartheid.
• Extensive field experience and volunteer work with YouthAIDS. YouthAIDS is an HIV/AIDS education and prevention initiative that raises much needed funding for HIV/AIDS awareness programs across the globe.
• Visit and volunteer work with TAC, who since 1988, have become the world’s most effective advocates for increased access to treatment, care and support services for people living with HIV, and have developed campaigns to reduce new HIV infections.
• Volunteer work on various maintenance / cleaning projects at Linawo Children’s Home and interactive activities with the children.
• Attendance at a local African drumming workshop.
• Homestay accommodation, where you will stay in pairs with a family in their home in the township.
• Attendance at a vibrant multi cultural, multi racial church service within the Cape townships.
• Outdoor sunset concert at the world-renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
• Day long excursion to Table Mountain.
• Optional two day safari at the end of the trip.

It is preferable for donations to be made via check or through our online donation system. Donations can also be made via money order, cashier’s check or cash.

It is preferable to receive a check or an online credit card donation for tracking and tax purposes. However, if you do receive a cash donation please take it to your local bank or post office and get a cashier’s check or money order made payable to ‘The Engage Network.’ Write your name and ‘from small cash donations’ on the memo line. Please do not put the cash into your own checking and write a personal check.

All checks, money orders and cashier's checks should be made payable to THE ENGAGE NETWORK. Off the Mat, Into the World® is a project of The Engage Network, a 501(c)(3).

Yes. All donations to OTM and/or the Seva Challenge are tax deductible. Off the Mat is a part of the Engage Network, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Keep a record of what you have raised and send the checks to our P.O. Box:
Off the Mat, Into the World®
P.O. Box 748
Venice, CA 90294

Make sure that YOUR NAME appears on the memo line of each check you send in. Our accountants will be keeping a tally and depositing the money into an account. You will receive an updated spreadsheet with your running total on a weekly basis.

Yes. Off the Mat is a part of the Engage Network, a 501(c)(3) organization. All US based donors will receive an acknowledgment letter from the Engage Network for their donations. At this time, we will not be issuing any tax receipts to international donors.

Please note that the acknowledgment letter will list any return benefits provided to the donor, including, for travelers on the Bare Witness Journey, the fair market value of travel, lodging and other expenses, and that any charitable deduction must be reduced by the value of these return benefits. Each donor, including a Seva Challenge participant who makes a contribution, should consult his or her tax advisor to determine the extent to which their contribution may be deductible as a charitable donation or business expense.

No, you don’t. Please make the checks payable to the Engage Network and include your name on the memo line of each check. Send the money to our PO Box listed above. Online donations are also encouraged!

Checks will be cashed within one week of receipt. You will also get an email each week letting you know what checks were received.