by Denise Smith
I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Statewide Civics Bee hosted by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. This program, sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, helps prepare middle school students for leadership and civic engagement. The students write an essay that identifies a problem in their communities and propose thoughtful, practical solutions; from building a youth volunteer network to help their neighbors shovel driveways, to addressing youth mental health, to rethinking school start times. I was struck by their creativity, problem solving skills, and commitment to making a difference.
Our work at VCRD is with communities trying to solve problems like the ones these young leaders identified. The need for people to work alongside their neighbors and friends is essential to the foundation of our civic life. Yet across Vermont, we are hearing a different reality: fewer people are stepping up to serve on boards, committees, and volunteer.
Our democracy endures when people feel a sense of civic responsibility to the greater good, expressed through participation in local associations, boards, and community life. In Bowling Alone, author Robert Putnam reminds us that civic engagement builds the trust and social capital that makes this possible. These are not abstract democratic ideals; they are the conditions that allow leadership to emerge and be sustained making our democracy possible. As Putnam has long argued, when civic engagement declines, so do the relationships that connect us.
This is where leadership becomes central. Leadership does not emerge in isolation. It grows out of belonging, connection, trust, and the experience of being part of something larger than oneself. When people feel connected to a place and to one another, they are more likely to notice what needs to be done and to believe they can be the ones to do it.
At the Vermont Council on Rural Development, we see this every day. Through our community-based programs, we work alongside communities as they identify priorities and move from ideas to action. Through our Vermont Community Leadership Initiative, we focus on strengthening the infrastructure of leadership itself. That includes providing tools such as our Community in Action Leadership Guide with tips and strategies to help leaders frame local issues and move community and economic development projects forward. And on October 6th, formal and informal leaders from across the state will come together at the Vermont Community Leadership Summit to learn from one another, build skills, and strengthen the networks that sustain local action.
We see leadership everywhere – the neighbor who organizes childcare when families are stretched thin, the volunteer who shows up year after year to keep a project alive, the resident who is passionate about protecting clean water, or youth who ask, “Why not do this differently?” Leadership is rarely fixed or formal. It is shared, intergenerational, and often shifts as community work moves from vision to implementation. No single person carries it alone. It moves across people and roles as the work evolves.
Belonging, civic trust and engagement, and leadership cannot be separated. When people are connected, they begin to see what needs to be done. When they are supported with tools, relationships, and encouragement they are more likely to step forward and stay engaged. When we invest in belonging, we strengthen civic trust. When civic trust grows, leadership follows. And when leadership is shared and supported, communities are better equipped to meet the challenges ahead. The future of our democracy depends not just on participation, but on our ability to cultivate the relationships, skills, and confidence that allow people to step forward together.
If we want a strong and resilient democracy, we must continue nurturing the relationships that sustain it, including developing young leaders. Belonging, civic trust, and leadership grow together, and will continue to shape the future of our communities.
Denise Smith is the Executive Director of the Vermont Council on Rural Vermont (VCRD). VCRD has been serving the needs of Vermont’s rural communities for over 30 years, facilitating community-led, place based conversations in over 100 towns to help communities envision their collective future.
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