How the Born This Way Foundation is supporting communities affected by mass shootings

"We cannot turn away from ourselves. We cannot turn away from our loved ones. We need each other. Don’t turn away.”

By Team XQ

In addition to our work to rethink and transform high school in America, we’re committed to sharing the stories of people working for good in their communities. 

The population of the United States is 327,200,200.

The number of guns in the United States is 393,000,000.

Every single day, 100 people die from gun violence.

Gun violence in our nation happens all the time. This is not a secret, but an unfortunate truth. It is not confined to any one region. It happens in big cities and small towns. It is a reality known by people young and old and every age in between. It is a reality shared by students. Right now there is no solution to fixing the problem, as the issue is contentious and politically fraught.

Just as undeniable is the fact that these events are earth-shattering and seem to happen with such frequency that our public spaces no longer feel safe, regardless of the setting.

In the wake of the mass shootings in Gilroy, California; El Paso, Texas; and Dayton, Ohio, the Born This Way Foundation (the charity organization run by Lady Gaga) announced that it will provide funding for classroom projects for the communities recently affected by gun violence.

In conjunction with the crowdfunding platform DonorsChoose.org162 classroom projects will receive support for students’ mental health, and will include “educational tools on emotional regulation, age-appropriate books and creative modules involving photography and painting,” as reported by Chelsey Sanchez in Harper’s Bazaar. 

As the entertainer and activist wrote on her Facebook page, “Surviving and recovering from these tragedies also means prioritizing your mental health and checking in on your loved ones. If you’re struggling, please be brave and tell a trusted someone. Don’t be scared to ask for help, I beg you. If you see a loved one struggling, please be brave and reach out, remind them it’s ok to not be ok, and listen to them. We cannot turn away from ourselves. We cannot turn away from our loved ones. We need each other. Don’t turn away.”