The Born Brave Bus Tour made its first stop in Tacoma, WA and Lady Gaga herself was there to help inaugurate the bus in front of hundreds of local youth who came out to experience the pre-concert “tailgate” event. Covered in artwork created by real Gaga fans, the Born Brave Bus is touring the country with Gaga as part of her Born This Way Ball tour and is an effort by Born This Way Foundation to inspire bravery and promote self-acceptance among young people. The Bus and surrounding experience provides youth with an interactive way to meet like-minded peers, and to connect with local resources in their communities including behavioral and mental health services, school psychologists, mentoring, volunteer opportunities and bullying and suicide prevention resources. While counseling will not be provided on site, youth will be directed to local professionals who can provide services to them on an individual basis. Guests are also able to enjoy food, music by Lady Starlight and DJ White Shadow, and fun activities including interactive digital kiosks, games and more. The Born Brave Bus will be open to the general public on the day of each Gaga concert in the United States from 4:00pm to 7:30pm local time, with a one-hour preview window for little monsters with Monster Pit access to that night’s concert from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
The Born Brave Bus will continue to make stops across the country through the end of the Born This Way Ball tour in March. For a full list of stops, visit Lady Gaga’s website at www.ladygaga.com/bornthiswayball. Please note that at this time, the Bus will be unable to attend the tour stops in Canada. The Born Brave Bus is open for anyone to attend free of charge, and a ticket to the concert is not required for entry to the Bus experience. While the Born Brave Bus welcomes those of all ages, it is geared toward youth 13-25 and visitors of those ages will have access to an enhanced experience. Pre-register today for the Born Brave Bus experience in your area by visiting: www.bornthiswayfoundation.org. Registration will also be available on-site.
For the tour, BTWF has joined forces with Campus Pride, GLSEN, Hive & YOUMedia, the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Council for Behavioral Health, MENTOR, Mentoring USA, The Trevor Project and YSA (Youth Service America). All across the country YMCAs have been invited to join in the movement and a few examples of participating YMCA's include the Chicago YMCA Metro, the Bronx YMCA and the East Los Angeles YMCA. With Viacom as its lead media partner, the foundation has also partnered with the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The California Endowment and The Berkman Center at Harvard to explore the best ways to reach youth and create a new culture of kindness, bravery, acceptance and empowerment.
To donate to the BTWF movement, please visit www.bornthiswayfoundation.org. Donations will go toward empowering young people, and addressing the issues of self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development. Together we will change our culture, and create a braver and kinder world.
