In previous years, described as eccentric, dramatic and known to make some audience members question everything from her style to her music video story-lines, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta more popularly known as Lady Gaga has always been a topic of discussion.

This Feature Friday post will not be centered around Lady Gaga’s wonderful creativity and uniqueness but instead will focus on the artist’s endless efforts to give back. Lady Gaga’s philanthropic and charity work is predominantly aimed to help at-risk youth struggling through issues involving depression, LGBTQ rights, and homelessness among many others.

It could be said that the creation of the Born This Way Foundation is one of Lady Gaga’s highest achievements. The foundation was started in 2012 alongside her mother and its efforts can be summed up as genuinely caring and progressive focused on providing the youth with tools that will help them succeed in our society.

“Born This Way Foundation is committed to supporting the wellness of young people and empowering them to create a kinder and braver world. To achieve these goals, Born This Way Foundation leverages rigorous academic research and authentic partnerships in order to provide young people with kinder communities, improved mental health resources, and more positive environments – online and offline.”

 

Lady Gaga has always been a strong advocate of individuality and the search for one’s true self. Gaga’s foundation aims to catalyze the endless potential today’s youth has by providing the resources that will help members with projects and ideas that might not be possible to realize otherwise. Gaga sees the importance of acknowledging that there are obstacles for youth, specifically those who might be oppressed due to their gender, sexuality, beliefs, and economic or social standing.

As a society we wish to see the youth succeed and achieve great things, whether it be in a political, artistic, or social justice realm, but there are times we fail to provide sufficient support for this to be possible. Teens and young adults face a tremendous amount of pressure to contribute to our world from older generations. There are certain situations that can cause their visions or dreams to be put on hold, and in some cases this leads to a great amount of potential being wasted.

There are millions of undiscovered artists, scholars, engineers, lawyers, and any other profession you can think of.  Some of them will remain that way due to unfavorable circumstances involving their social environment, living conditions, or economic difficulties. This is exactly what Gaga’s foundation wishes to avoid. The Born This Way Foundation’s efforts have given thousands of young men and women the opportunity to connect with the resources and networks they need in order to share their creativity and brain power with their communities and the rest of the world. The future belongs to the youth, and it is women like Lady Gaga that have a clear understanding of all the positivity that can result from empowering the youth to reach their dreams.

Make sure to visit the foundation’s website for further information on events and more inspiring content!