Lady Gaga has created the Born This Way Foundation, which will support programs that empower youth.

Here’s an excerpt from the statement on her website:

The non-profit charitable organization will lead youth into a braver new society where each individual is accepted and loved as the person they were born to be. BTWF 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.

“My mother and I have initiated a passion project. We call it the Born This Way Foundation. 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,” said Lady Gaga.

Led and directed by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta , BTWF will partner with the The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and The California Endowment, which are both ranked among the top foundations in the country and focus on unique aspects of youth empowerment. The foundation will also partner with the The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, one of the most cutting edge institutions in the country focusing on the power of the internet as a means to promote change. An advisory board will also be appointed and announced soon.

Additional details concerning the Born This Way Foundation will be announced shortly and the official launch will take place in 2012.

Despite all the recent LGBT civil rights advances, LGBT youth still need as much help as they can get. So, kudos to Lady Gaga for such forward thinking.

One caveat: Since Lady Gaga has already become a proven HIV/AIDS advocate, I do hope that her new foundation addresses the needs of HIV-positive youth, youth at high risk for HIV and youth needing evidence-based sexual education.

Click here to read a blog post by fellow POZ staffer Trenton Straube on how Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” battles HIV.