Robin (director, civics program, Secretary of State) presented the Vermont Civic Health Index to the working group, summarizing state and locally curated data on volunteering, political engagement, social context, media trust and government access.

The report matters because it provides baseline data to guide civic-engagement efforts: while Vermont ranks highly on several volunteerism and neighbor-helping measures, fewer than 18% of adults attend public meetings in a given year and a statewide youth survey found that 36% of respondents said they did not intend to register to vote when eligible.

Robin said the index combines data from the National Conference on Citizenship's dataset and local sources such as the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont and the Vermont Well-Being Study. "We asked when you become eligible, do you intend to register to vote? And 36% of youth said no," Robin told the group.

The index found Vermont ranks second nationally on informal helping with neighbors and on reading or seeking news about political and local issues. But Robin noted the difference between high rank and absolute participation: the state's 17.4% adult attendance at public meetings is roughly double the national average yet still low in absolute terms.

The presentation included Vermont-specific research: a statewide youth civic-health survey collected roughly 2,400 responses from grades 7 through 12, and youth responses indicated higher participation in certain cultural activities and cross-cultural contact than adults. The index also used the Vermont Well-Being Study for measures of belonging and whether residents feel uncomfortable in their communities because of race, gender, religion or language; Robin emphasized that even modest percentages of residents who feel excluded could depress public participation.

Working-group members suggested follow-up actions: develop more targeted data collection and community conversations to explain the "why" behind the indicators; pilot local "welcome" materials for newcomers; and expand civics education for all ages. Participants emphasized that improving access to public meetings requires both procedural fixes (clear rules for public comment, accessible locations and recordings) and broader cultural work (translation, welcoming materials and civic education).

Next steps identified by the presenter and group: collect additional data and community input, explore a statewide civic-engagement coalition, expand civics education, and use the index findings to inform the Secretary of State's forthcoming section of the open-meetings best-practices report. No formal funding commitments were made at the meeting.