A man plays a guitar during a Block Party in Allan Gardens. (Gerry Broome/AP photo/Canadian Press)

By Amal Ga'al, G20 citizen blogger

On the walk to Allan Gardens yesterday, I found myself wondering how many youths would be participating in the protest. When I got there, I noticed that there were many young people brandishing homemade signs, strumming on acoustic guitars, and making their voices heard. Some were affiliated with organizations such as PETA, while others came individually or as part of university groups. The issues they wanted to address were just as varied, ranging from school fees to women's rights to homophobia.

With the multitude of new, electronic ways of showing our support for a certain cause, I wasn't expecting to see many young people at the protest. The youths I spoke to told me that joining a group on Facebook or tweeting wasn't enough. While they view social networking sites as fantastic platforms, they did not believe that they would ever truly replace protesting as a means to express discontent with the status quo and demand change.

There is definitely something very powerful about a group of passionate people coming together and marching to support causes that are close to their hearts.

When this presence is physical rather than virtual, it's harder to ignore.

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