For junior Lindsay Worthington, helping others is second nature. With a dad who served as CEO of Plan USA and siblings who helped start Youth United for Global Action, she’s been surrounded by philanthropy since day one. Now, Worthington is combining her generosity and passion for music to make a difference.

Worthington formed the Sounds of Empowerment project with the help of John MacGaffey, a student at Northwestern University. The website, which opened Jan. 31, features videos of youth performers and a link to the official YUGA donation page, to inspire others to donate to this youth empowerment organization.

“We’re trying to advocate for the expression of people,” Worthington said. “By watching people express themselves, you may be motivated to donate to this organization that tries to help others express themselves.”

Worthington’s choice to feature musicians comes from a longstanding connection to music. She’s played the piano for seven years and has sung and played the viola for four years. She also composes music and plays the guitar.

Her interest in music and philanthropy helped Worthington connect with MacGaffey, whom she met at a conference focusing on youth empowerment, which served as inspiration for starting the project.

Worthington later watched a young violinist’s video on YouTube that served as a fundraiser for AIDS relief. She realized that she could use videos from her own YouTube channel to help others. After discussing her idea with MacGaffey, the two decided to form the project.

“I was immediately game for it,” he said. “I was excited to start something like this and I thought that Lindsay would be a great partner.”

Aside from raising money for YUGA, one of Worthington’s major hopes for the website is that it will help promote young musicians.

“The issue upcoming musicians face is that they don’t have an audience,” she said. “It will be really nice to give people a voice, to try to help them get recognized.”

Worthington hopes to feature musicians from all over the country and eventually all over the world on her site. The website has a picture of a guitar that says “Donate to YUGA.” Site visitors can click on the guitar to be redirected to the official YUGA donation page.

Worthington said she chose to affiliate the project with YUGA because of its focus on youth effecting global change. YUGA encourages teens to make a difference and help other kids, focusing on issues ranging from girls’ rights to child trafficking.

Although she expects a certain level of talent and dedication to music among participants, Worthington emphasizes the openness of the project.

“For aspiring musicians, this is the perfect way to get your name out,” she said.