Vermont Secretary of State Releases Vermont’s First Civic Health Index, Holds Community Conversation in Brattleboro

January 16 2025

Montpelier, VT – Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas released Vermont’s first ever Civic Health Index – a report measuring how civically engaged Vermonters are across the state and in relation to the rest of the country – on January 15, holding the first of several community conversations at Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro.

The report was created in partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), UVM’s Center for Rural Studies, SerVermont, Up For Learning, and Vermont Humanities. The NCoC defines civic health as “the way that communities are organized to define and address public problems,” and the report breaks this concept into six domains: Volunteerism and Donating, Political Engagement, Community and Social Context, Cultural Access and Engagement, Media Trust and Access, and Government Trust and Access.

"Vermont's first Civic Health Index reveals a state with remarkable civic vitality and community resilience. Ranking 2nd nationally in working with neighbors on community projects and discussing local issues, Vermonters demonstrate an outstanding commitment to engaged citizenship,” said Jeff Coates, Research and Evaluation Director at NCoC. “What's especially noteworthy about the Secretary of State’s approach is how they've expanded traditional metrics of civic health to examine cultural access, media trust, and youth engagement - providing a more complete picture of their civic ecosystem. This comprehensive baseline will help Vermont build on their strengths while thoughtfully addressing gaps in participation and access across all communities."

Organizations and individuals engaged in a range of civic activities across Vermont provided feedback and helped contextualize the data about Vermonters’ civic behavior and mindsets. In addition, the Secretary of State’s office administered the YMCA and Knight Impact Youth Civic Health survey, receiving over 2,500 responses from students in grades 7-12 across the state. With the release of the report, the Secretary of State’s office is holding several community conversations around the state, starting with Brattleboro, to gather feedback and further input on how to improve Vermont’s civic health.

“I’m thrilled to release this report, because it gives us a framework to talk about what we need to keep doing, and what we need to start doing,” said Secretary Copeland Hanzas. “I’m so thankful to the folks at Brooks Memorial Library and for everyone in the Brattleboro area who came out on a cold Wednesday night to help us kick off the conversation!”

Attendees heard from a panel including Hilary Francis, Brattleboro Town Clerk, Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup, Executive Director of Vermont Humanities, and Liz McLoughlin, Brattleboro Selectboard Member. With over 30 participants in the Brattleboro community conversation, small groups were organized to focus on each of the six different domains of the report. Participants identified local resources and community organizations pertaining to civic health and discussed next steps for addressing barriers and gaps identified in the report.

“The panel discussion was excellent, and it was great to see folks from all sorts of different backgrounds and positions coming together to talk about how to improve civic engagement in their community,” said Director of Civic and Voter Engagement Robyn Palmer. “We were discussing civic health and exemplifying it at the same time! I can’t wait to conduct more of these conversations in other parts of the state – please RSVP for one nearest to you!”

The community conversations, moderated by Secretary Copeland Hanzas, are an opportunity to learn more about the report, offer feedback, and help prioritize next steps. The next events currently planned are:

• South Burlington – South Burlington Public Library – January 23
• St. Johnsbury – St. Johnsbury Athenaeum – February 5
• Barre – Aldrich Public Library – February 13
• Rutland – Rutland Free Library – February 26
• (All events are scheduled for 5:30 – 7:30pm)
  
  

The events are open to the public, and anyone can register to attend at this link. Refreshments provided.

The Secretary of State’s Office is planning to host more events in other parts of the state in the spring, and a virtual only session is also currently scheduled:

Virtual – (Hosted by the Vermont Council on Rural Development) – January 22, 10:00-11:30am

Link to register here.

All the sessions will be recorded and publicly available on the Secretary of State's website.

Link to the full report: https://sos.vermont.gov/media/3bgn4wip/vermont-chi-final-1-13-25.pdf

Link to the Secretary of State’s Civic Health Index webpage: https://sos.vermont.gov/secretary-of-state-services/civics/civic-health-index/