Recently, there have been many events in the United States that have sparked many movements as a result, such as the Women's March in D.C. back in 2017, the Gun Violence March, and so on. Many of these events were organized as a way for citizens to use their voice and speak out on issues that they want to see fixed in our current government.

But while there has been many marches and protests, I've also seen a lot of doubt coming from my own generation about the importance of speaking up for what you believe in, and honestly, it's kind of disappointing.

I've heard many of my peers say they strongly believe that speaking out on an issue or participating in a march won't lead to any action, because they're only one voice out of millions. They also say that it's much more challenging for people of our age to make change happen because we're only "kids" and we're not "old enough to understand how things work."

However, that's just not the case.

It is definitely possible for people our age to speak out and make a difference in the community.

It might not feel like you're impacting anything at the moment, but your contribution will help so much in the long run.

For example, my previous high school, George School, decided to hold a walkout in response to the current gun violence happening in schools, where the entire student body and faculty would walk over to a local congressman's office and peacefully protest as a way to hear how he would respond to this recent violence.

Emma Schneider, a junior and one of the creators of the walkout, said, "kids who start these movements have more power than they think. When adults see us taking charge and speaking out on issues like these, they think they should support and help us, which will then pull more people into the movement."

Emma has been involved in doing gun violence prevention since she was in 8th grade, and she knew that she wanted to carry over her work into George School because she knew that her peers would be passionate and creative at organizing such an event if something were to happen.

"Gun violence affects us all at some point, and it's not something that you can hide from as an issue," says Emma. "If older generations don't do anything, then it's our responsibility to do something because we're making it too easy to kill our children. And when you become complacent, you're then condoning the problem and becoming the problem."

Rebecca Missonis, a history teacher at George School, says "There is a long history of students speaking out for change. My parent's generation demanded the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, participated in lunch counter sit-ins, etc.

Schools empowering this individual power is us doing our jobs in the best way. It's important to help students understand collective power, and it's the most important lesson you can learn because you can essentially do so much, even if you can't vote."

Whether you can vote or not, raising your voice about issues can be crucial and contribute to change. Like Emma, you can organize events for your entire school that can help raise awareness for your local community about pressing issues that can hopefully reach broader audiences.

Regardless of how old you are, you are capable of making a difference, and your voice matters.