In Italy, campaigners succeeded in turning a petition into something much bigger: a nationwide movement demanding a referendum to overturn a controversial law. The new law, introduced by Giorgia Meloni’s government, will block access to sexual and emotional education for many young people and put LGBT+ youth at particular risk of harm and stigmatization.

Giorgia Meloni’s defeat in the March 23 referendum on judicial reform in Italy was widely seen as a political setback for the prime minister, signaling resistance to key elements of her agenda and revealing a wide gap between her government’s priorities and broader public sentiment. One key element behind this result was the strong turnout. Digital expert Lorenzo Azzolini explains how a civil-society-driven digital campaign on Whatsapp helped achieve this – demonstrating how

How do we make our democracy more representative and resilient? For the team behind the Brand New Bundestag initiative, the keys are lowering barriers to participation, supporting capable and motivated people to enter politics, and fostering collaboration beyond partisan divides