Lady Gaga’s Foundation Launches Youth Advisory Board

Lady Gaga is uniting the youth!

The singer’s Born This Way Foundation (BTWF) welcomed 24 young people to Los Angeles to participate in its inaugural Youth Advisory Board (YAB) Summit last week.

Young people from all over the country – aged 17-23 – gathered at Paramount Pictures for three days of open dialogue led by youth advocate and journalist Anne Collier, and the CEO of Mobilize.org, Maya Enista Smith. During the summit, youth advisory board members provided honest, constructive feedback on BTWF’s upcoming programs and initiatives, helping to guide the Foundation’s plan for the coming year.

“The goal of the youth advisory board is to reflect and magnify the strength, determination, creativity, and capacity of our youth, and to have them provide insight on the issues that are most important to them,” BTWF President and Co-Founder Cynthia Germanotta said in a statement to Access Hollywood. “It is the ideas, concerns, and aspirations of these youth that will shape our working model. My daughter and I envisioned the Foundation as a youth movement, and through these young leaders, we will learn how to best engage the youth of America in co-creating a kinder, braver world.”

“I was really nervous that not knowing anybody, I’d kind of be an outcast,” a YAB member said. “But, coming here I’ve realized that everyone is trying to connect with everyone. It’s been amazing so far.”

The summit follows the recent unveiling of BTWF’s Born Brave Nation (BBN), which is made up of localized groups of supporters throughout the country dedicated to affecting change in their homes, schools, and local communities. Beginning this fall, YAB members will serve as ambassadors to the BBN, representing the interests and needs of their peers.

To sign up to become a founding member of a BBN in your area, CLICK HERE!