The Berkman Center is pleased to announce that it is collaborating with Lady Gaga, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The California Endowment to launch the singer's Born This Way Foundation. Berkman Center Faculty Co-Director John Palfrey comments:
It seems Hollywood launches foundations all the time, but I can't recall an artist of Lady Gaga's reach or caliber who has done the months of due-diligence and behind-the-scenes meetings with the experts before they've launched such a foundation.
danah boyd also offers a comment:
Lady Gaga has already energized a generation of young people with her music, her compassion, and her novel ways of using technology to connect. Her commitment to empowering youth and inspiring humanity with her new foundation is a radical, game-changing move that will transform youth culture.
From the Boston Globe:
Lady Gaga is launching a foundation with the help of the MacArthur Foundation and Harvard University.
The Grammy-winning singer announced Wednesday that she is launching the Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on youth empowerment and "issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development."
Gaga's partners include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The California Endowment and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
The foundation will be directed by the 25-year-old singer and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta.
"Together we hope to establish a standard of Bravery and Kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment," Gaga said in a statement.
You can sign up for more information by subscribing to the mailing list on the Born This Way website or signing up for Berkman Center announcements. Visit our Youth and Media project to find out more about Berkman's work on an array of research, advocacy, and development initiatives around youth and technology.
