Emilia Allard knew she needed to do something.

Back in February, when the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, dominated the news, Allard went home and had a serious talk with her family about what had occurred.

Could such a thing happen at Ballard High School in Seattle, where the then-senior attended? What about her four younger sisters, one of whom is autistic? What if a person with a gun targeted them?

“My mom and I were talking about, how in the event of a similar school shooting, my autistic sister might be the one to give away her class, [since she has less impulse control], posing a risk to her and her classmates,” Allard said. “I just felt like it was my job to do what I could to make sure that never happens.”

That’s when Allard decided to start the March For Our Lives (MFOL) Seattle chapter. Just like the national organization that has become a phenomenon — making household names out of activists such as David Hogg, Cameron Klasky, Emma Gonzalez and others — this branch of the movement is dedicated to raising awareness around gun violence and encouraging young people to be more civically engaged. The coordinated march this past spring was one of the biggest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War.

But there’s still a lot that many people don’t understand about MFOL and how donors can play a role. Let’s sort through the misperceptions.

MYTH #1: It’s only about gun control
REALITY: MFOL confronts many social issues, with voting registration a priority

“Going into the fall, we’re pretty much focusing on the Vote For Our Lives campaign, registering young people and educating them on the basics of filling out a ballot,” says Allard. Her background includes stints working with Black Lives Matters, attending a training session with the ACLU and being vocal about gender equality issues, which came to the forefront when she was the only girl on her high school football team. (Allard had to eventually quit because she got “too many concussions” as a wide receiver, she says.)

Allard and her fellow leaders are also dedicated to a learning mindset. Over Labor Day weekend, MFOL Seattle hosted a leadership summit attended by 12 other chapters. The agenda included workshops on understanding voter suppression, building a brand and maintaining a sustainable movement.

How you can show solidarity: Help get people to the polls. The MFOL Action Fund and the Seattle Foundation are among the efforts to drive more voter turnout ahead of the midterm elections. And no matter which side of the aisle you stand, there is no denying that active, more civically-inclined youth will strengthen our democracy.

Myth #2: Adults do everything behind the scenes
Reality: The movement is completely youth-led, from top to bottom

“People think that we just sit around and have people throw money at us,” says Allard. “But we're very hands on with everything — we’re the ones writing the proposals, seeking out sponsors and signing contracts.” That aforementioned leadership summit took months to plan, but Allard and her team organized the whole thing (all while doing schoolwork, preparing for college, working at part-time jobs and fielding multiple media requests like this one).

MFOL Seattle managed to get major financial backers such as Starbucks, Safeway and the Seahawks to help them put the event together, and it partners with Reel Grrls as a fiscal sponsor, with the hopes that the chapter can become its own nonprofit in due time. But you will not find any parents or guardians running the show. Says Allard, “We're doing everything in keeping that youth leadership focus.”

How you can show solidarity: Be willing to cede control. Research from Exponent Philanthropy found that, even though youth-led philanthropic movements are growing, there’s still a trust gap in how older people view them. But the next generation is more than capable of driving change effectively — we just need to give them the resources to succeed.

Myth #3: MFOL had its moment, but will fade
Reality: The kids are here to stay

Even though there are now many satellites across the U.S., the national leaders are hands on. Allard says the Seattle branch touches base with someone from the main organization on a daily basis; Hogg, Klasky and Jackie Corin are in regular contact with them as well, even weighing in on the language of tweets. And the continuity of management, along with mission alignment, is completely fluid, even though many members may drop in and out from school obligations.

Remember that many of these young people are either now of voting age or soon will be, and they are determined to continue their political activism through young adulthood. Attending college in the fall, Allard expressed a desire to perhaps run for office one day. “We just put a lot of time and effort into making sure that we are as sustainable as possible,” she says.

How you can show support: Power young people’s passion. According to Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO), less than one percent of all funding that goes to youth development is earmarked for activism. FCYO has a range of resources for philanthropists to get things moving in the right direction.

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Original contribution by Gabe Guarente, Content Manager at Giving Compass.