A signature can do incredible things. From reuniting families, raising awareness of the Yazidi genocide and clearing supermarket shelves of eggs from caged hens, people power is making the impossible possible.

We spoke to three people whose lives were transformed by the support of people like you.

Meet Lucy

The teen that took on the UK’s biggest supermarkets — and won.

Animal lover Lucy, 14, is an ordinary teenager whose life changed earlier this year when she started a petition to stop supermarkets selling eggs from caged hens. The campaign went viral, attracting over 200,000 signatures, and before long Lucy’s petition had attracted celebrity support, sparked action on social media and persuaded executives at Tesco to meet her. Within months, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons announced they were phasing out eggs from caged hens.

A year ago people told Lucy that stamping out caged eggs from supermarket shelves couldn’t be done, but with the support of people like you, the impossible has been made possible.

Lucy is going to keep campaigning to make sure all eggs in the UK are cage-free. Her dream is to get a job as an animal rights campaigner when she finishes school.

She says: “It’s hard to imagine that nine months ago I was just doing normal 14 year old things- hanging out with my friends and my pets. Thanks to my signers my life is completely different.”

Meet Phil

The inspiring dad who wouldn’t take no for an answer

When Phil’s son Josh was moved to an autism facility 260 miles away instead of being given care locally, Phil did everything in his power to bring Josh home. For a year no one listened. So, at his wits’ end, Phil started a Change.org petition, attracted 250,000 signatures and convinced Cornwall Council to provide care for autism so that  Josh could be close to his family.

Phil said, “the petition was the thing. We went for 18 months with no one listening but the petition opened eyes and ears from people at the top that hadn’t been hearing us. I wasn’t a fan of petitions before but it changed everything. It gave Josh a voice”

“It means the world to have Josh home. Everyone who sees him now says that the sparkle is back in his eye and I always say it’s the people that signed his petition that put it there.” 

Since winning his petition Phil has become an ambassador for autism charity, Anna Kennedy Online, and has built up a community of parents who are using petitions and the media to bring their children home too.

Public support brought Josh home when nothing else could, and now Phil’s inspired other families to use petitions to speak out for their children too.

Meet Rozin

The Yazidi student campaigning for her community

British Yazidi teen Rozin Hajool is no ordinary 18 year old. For a year and a half she has been campaigning on behalf of the Yazidi women and girls sexually assaulted at the hands of ISIS.

Before she started her petition these voices were rarely heard in the UK media – but your signatures helped tell the Yazidi people’s story in Britain.

Now she has teamed up with fellow Yazidi Nadia Murad (recently nominated for the Nobel Peace prize) and is keeping her campaign on the agenda of the international community.

“Progress is being made” Rozin says. “I think about everyone who has signed my petition. They’re my strength and without every signature I would have given up. 229,000 people believe in me, and that helps me believe in myself”.

The signatures on Rozin’s petition form part of a campaign which grew from nothing. Every signature has helped to spread the story of Yazidi women and girls, and given this remarkable 18 year old the power to carry on.

“It’s has changed me as a person, doing campaigning”, she says. “The signers and the people I have met have been so inspirational. They have convinced me I have to do campaigning for the rest of my life. There’s no question about it – it’s what I want to do.”