Giving Compass' Take:
• After the school shooting in Parkland Florida and the national protests on March 24th, it has become clear that youth-led initiatives can change the way that young people engage in activism.

• Are youth engaged in thoughtful activism in your local community? Why is it important for young people to abandon 'slacktivism' practices now and become active drivers of social change?

• Read more about youth led initiatives and the political power of young people.

Hundreds of thousands of young children, teenagers, parents, and concerned people across the U.S. stepped away from their computer screens and left their houses on March 24, gathering in the streets to protest against gun violence in the March for Our Lives.

It would have been much easier just to sign an online petition or tweet with the march's trending hashtag — in other words, engage in "slacktivism," or simple activism efforts that require little action and, ultimately, have little impact. But after 17 people were killed in the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, these Americans couldn't sit back and value the convenience of slacktivism over the dire need to go out and create real change.

They kept up the momentum, engaged others, and went out into the world to take tangible action.

Ever since President Donald Trump was elected in November 2016, his harmful rhetoric and the administration's policies have inspired protests to advocate for women's rights, support immigrants and members of the LGBTQ community, and fight for better health care, among other causes. Marches and demonstrations are becoming more and more common — and they're getting bigger.

The idea for March for Our Lives, which ended up being one of the biggest youth-led protests in American history, was conceived by students less than a week after the Parkland shooting. The tragedy quickly prompted social media support in the form of hashtags like #EnoughIsEnough, #NeverAgain, and #ParklandStrong.

Read more about the activism of America's youth by Nicole Gallucci at Mashable