Three months, three victories

Among the constant shrapnel of bad news, our community is using its voice to give wings to the change we need.

Huge movements of people in Serbia, Turkey and Argentina are standing up for democratic and fair societies that care for all. [1] And here in the EU, with the support and solidarity of its members, this community has achieved three great victories in the last three months:

A big step for our kids’ future!

Over 111,000 of us joined the fight for free and healthy school meals for all children in Europe. This caught our leaders' attention, with three Commissioners accepting the petition, and agreeing to meet our partner ICLEI and a class of schoolchildren. [2]

What’s more, they heard our message: The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food will build cross-party collaboration to put our plea for free and healthy school meals into action, while the Health Commissioner called for an alliance between farmers and schools to create more sustainable, nutritious canteens.

This is real momentum. In a Europe where one in four children faces poverty, we’re making sure no child’s future is shaped by what’s on their plate. [3] Change is on the table—and we helped serve it.

A crucial milestone to protect the Amazon

We turned hundreds of messages from our members into one powerful video to Santander bank, calling on them to stop financing the destruction of the Amazon. [4] The impact was immediate. After months of ignoring us, it took Santander two hours to agree to a meeting with their top leads in Europe and South America.

That meeting,held with our partner, Stand.earth, was a meaningful step forward. The bank committed to reviewing Stand.earth’s investigation findings on the destructive impact of Santander’s money in the Amazon. Our pressure is working, but we must keep going until they fully listen to indigenous leaders like Olivia:

“Let’s not be complicit in destroying our own lives. (...) We mothers, aunts, and daughters are asking the women in power at the banks: be the ones who heal the Earth, not the ones who fund its destruction.”

A powerful stand for anti-racist voices

They tried to erase her voice — but we made sure she was heard. Under pressure from far-right politicians and powerful media empires, the European Parliament attempted to cancel a roundtable discussion on anti-racism — and with it, the participation of renowned French researcher: Maboula Soumahoro. [5]

But they underestimated the strength of this community. More than 80,000 of us stood up and said: we will not let the far right decide who gets to speak in our halls of power. And it worked. French MEP Rima Hassan responded by inviting Maboula to speak at the European Parliament during a powerful event she organized called Decolonizing Feminisms.

This was a powerful act of resistance. A statement that antiracist voices will not be silenced. Not on our watch.

Watch the full speech here

None of this progress would have been possible without the determination, actions, and unwavering support of our community.

History shows that when challenges arise, it's people like us standing up and taking action, that turn the tide.