Ashley Judd - Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS

Ashley Judd, actress and YouthAIDS Global Ambasador, with YouthAIDS founder Kate Roberts

Actress and activist Ashley Judd will hit the political talk show circuit today to drum up support for programs that fight youth AIDS.  She will talk about the youth AIDS problem on Fox News Sunday and This Week.

More than 12 million people under the age of 25 are infected with HIV and more than 50 percent of all new infections occur among 15- to 24-year-olds.  "There is an extraordinary, compelling, urgent problem," Ashley told CNN.

Ashley is a Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS, a nonprofit organization that uses pop culture to market safe sex practices to youth.  YouthAIDS programs promoting AIDS prevention have reached more than 60 million youth in 60 countries.

Ashley has traveled to 10 countries in her role as Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS. She told CNN, "I have the opportunity to visit the everyday, unsung, unheralded heroes around the world, who are working in public health in extreme conditions, grossly underfunded, and celebrate them.  And then go to governmental bodies and heads of state and to the media and say, 'Oh my gosh! Wait until you hear about this amazing grassroots program that I just saw in Cambodia.'" 

You can watch Ashley discuss her work with YouthAIDS here .  Watch her and other celebrities (Christina Aguilera, Cindy Crawford, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LL Cool J and Salma Hayek) participate in an ALDO/YouthAIDS awareness campaign at the end of this entry.

In addition to her work promoting AIDS prevention, Ashley is very politically active. She is a pro-choice advocate and gives speeches and attends rallies in support of the cause. She has made financial contributions to Democratic candidates, and she supported former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., by appearing at a  "Women for Ford" event during his U.S. Senate campaign.