Baltimore. Mike Brown. Eric Garner. NAACP shooting. Charlie Hebdo bombing. These are just a few examples of the many events that have been in the news lately. Movements such as the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag on social media are making headlines. Youth are getting more and more involved in political and social issues near and dear to their heart, and for good reason, too.

A lot of the younger generations today, myself included, are too involved in social media and don’t pay as much attention to the news. Even then, news outlets like CNN, NBC, and MSN, all have different angles and biases on these events, like the Mike Brown case. I know of one acquaintance who traveled to Ferguson because she was so interested and passionate about getting involved in the cause. Talking about social injustice and current events in our daily lives ensures social discourse, a concept that teenagers sometimes forget about. Hearing about all the protests — some violent, some nonviolent — that went on in the past year and that are still going on has got me thinking.

Martin Luther King, Jr. preached about non-violent direct action, and I, for one, advocate for non-violent civil disobedience. There’s a beauty in spreading your message, beliefs, and cause through words. Violence — hurting others, causing damage to public property, clashing with police officers — yes, that gets you in the headlines, but then what? Does one life being lost mean that more lives need to end as well? The two police officers in New York being shot exemplifies my previous point. I am not disagreeing with those who say that the police sometimes are excessive in their line of work, but we too often forget that there are two sides to every story.

The underlying message here is this: If you are passionate about a cause — go out there and protest. Search online for local organizations, and they will tell you how to get started with your involvement. Participating in marches, writing letters to your local government officials, doing fundraisers in your community — those are all small but meaningful ways that you can make a difference in the world.

Remember, violent protests put yourself at risk, too.