Your Rights and Responsibilities

Communities need social and political capital to update and reinvent themselves. Social and political capital describe the intangible ability of a community to generate and execute place-based initiatives while avoiding political stalemate. It is the “lubricant” for accepting diverse opinions and making progress on critical decisions and issues. These capitals are essential to constructive community dialogue that keeps residents working together toward common interests. 

Without social and political capital, addressing a community’s issues can quickly become a generational or cultural divide. Therefore, to increase community social and political capital, the Rural Studies Program is supporting a civic engagement curriculum focused on the rural communities of Idaho. The goal of this program is to increase the knowledge among rural residents of standard rules, structures and political processes that exist in the nation, Idaho and Idaho’s counties and cities. The materials are offered in English and Spanish. This program is a starting point for removing barriers to the active participation of rural residents, in particular, minorities in local business and government.