Born This Way Foundation Offers Hope for Teens

Pop stars, movie stars, famous writers, prominent people of all sorts—they're really just like the rest of us. Most celebrities say that they're just ordinary people who happen to live in the limelight. For me, what marks the truly admirable ones is when they make use of their fame to stand up for noble causes they believe in.

In 2011, Lady Gaga and her mom, Cynthia Germanotta, founded The Born This Way Foundation to foster a more accepting society in which each person’s differences are embraced and their individuality is celebrated.

The foundation promotes three pillars to create “a kinder, braver world”:

• Safety: Creating a safe, useful place to celebrate individuality.
• Skills: Teaching advocacy, promoting civic engagement, and encouraging self-expression.
• Opportunity: Identifying ways to implement solutions and impact local communities.

The foundation’s webpage hosts a list of resources on a variety of topics, including body image resources, bullying helplines, sexual assault and domestic violence resources, and many others. The foundation also helped to fund camps for teens ready to embrace their individuality and hosted a bus tour last summer to spread the word.

Visit the site to learn more. And if you haven't yet, read our blog “What to Say to a Bully,” where experts share thoughts, strategies, and interviews about making our schools safer.