Lady Gaga appeared with Yoko Ono yesterday for a ceremony in Reykjavik, Iceland. Held in her honor, the event celebrated the singer as she received the LennonOno Grant for Peace.

Gaga was honored with the award for her charity work, including her own Born This Way Foundation, and most recently, her Body Revolution 2013 campaign, which empowers her fans to embrace who they are, flaws and all.  Yoko praised her saying to Reuters Television, "Lady Gaga is in a position of #1 as a singer/songwriter. And when you are #1, you don't want to risk yourself. And she did."


The singer not only received a puzzle piece-shaped trophy for her philanthropy, but also a $50,000 grant which she already plans to spend on making a difference. "I'm supremely honored to accept this grant and award today on behalf of youth empowerment around the world. I will be donating this grant to the Elton John AIDS Foundation and I will be working closely with them to ensure that the money goes specifically to those orphans and disadvantaged youth in America born with HIV or AIDS," she said in a video posted online, later adding, "I dare you to be compassionate in a cynical age."

Congrats Gaga!!! It's great when you see celebrities actually using their platform that they've been blessed with to make a difference in this world!

Image via AFP

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Definitely could've posted a lot more on Wale this week, but I'm going to let the charts speak for themselves on Ambition next week! Plus I know that my Twitter followers and yall reading are probably getting annoyed haha! Thanks for bearing with my addiction.

On to news. Lady Gaga has decided to launch the Born This Way Foundation, according to MTV News. The foundation is being formed to help further inspire young people across the nation. Gaga is even enlisting help from her own mom, Cynthia Germanotta.

Read more about the Foundation after the jump!



"My mother and I have initiated a passion project. We call it the Born This Way Foundation," Gaga said in a statement. "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."

Named after her hit single and album, the foundation will connect with several organizations, including the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the California Endowment and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Born This Way will focus on "youth empowerment and equality by addressing issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development and will utilize digital mobilization as one of the means to create positive change."

Gaga has definitely stepped up and made her voice known about bullying and teen issues, after hearing about the suicide of bullied gay teen Jamey Rodemeyer. "The past days I've spent reflecting, crying, and yelling," she tweeted back in September, when news of Jamey's death hit news. "I have so much anger. It is hard to feel love when cruelty takes someone's life." She went on to post his "It Gets Better" video, urging that bullying "must become illegal. It is a hate crime."

I admire Gaga for standing up on these issues. Celebs have a lot more power than I think some of them realize, and could definitely make a powerful impact on this planet. Some already have. It's great to see Gaga joining the numbers.

What do you think of Gaga's Born This Way Foundation?

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