Last week, a Florida school was terrorized and 17 innocent people were murdered. Tragically, it was an all-too-familiar scene. The appalling lack of bipartisanship in the U.S. government and influential financial contributions from the NRA are clear roadblocks to enacting any common-sense gun control legislation.

But after this tragedy, I really couldn’t come up with anything that hadn’t already been tried and failed.

Then I heard Emma Gonzales. And David Hogg. And Cameron Kasky, Jaclyn Corin and Alex Wind. I saw the Teens for Gun Reform lie-in on Presidents’ Day. I learned about the plans for March for Our Lives. These young people — forced into maturity beyond their years — don’t need us to prescribe a solution. After all, this is the generation that’s grown up with active-shooter drills. They, of all people, have the authority to take whatever stand they feel compelled to when it comes to this issue.

I’ve always valued the perspectives of diverse stakeholders, including youth, when seeking to effect change; even so, I’ve never believed in the power of our children’s voices as much as I do right now.  They may not need our opinions and our directives, but these young activists need our support.  Let’s combine our experience, access and resources with their passion, energy and ambition. Let’s not only show up at the March for Our Lives event, let’s help our young people make a lasting impact. Let’s donate to Everytown.

Read the full article about the political power of Gen Z by Maggie Ragland Neilson of Global Philanthropy Group at Medium.