Stories of Local Activism #19
United Vision for Idaho
Uniting Idahoans Across Rural, Suburban, and Urban Communities in a People-Driven Movement
Boise, Idaho
United Vision for Idaho (UVI) is a Boise-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and statewide, multi-issue progressive network that has organized across Idaho since 1997. It works from the premise that democracy becomes stronger when people have meaningful opportunities to connect, learn, organize, and act together, especially in rural and small-town communities that are often overlooked by national institutions and philanthropy.
UVI combines civic education, relational organizing, leadership development, anti-hate work, public advocacy, and community-based action. Its model is built around sustained human relationships rather than one-time political transactions. Through the United Vision Project, UVI also applies this approach nationally, training people to engage in authentic conversations across deep political differences, de-escalate conflict, interrupt extremist narratives, and build trust that can lead to lasting civic participation. The United Vision Project has reached more than 1.4 million people across 13 states and fostered over 107,000 conversations—conversations that show sentiment shift from very hostile to very positive at a rate of 32.7%. This shift demonstrates how effective this model of organizing can be, particularly in this moment.
Although rooted in Idaho, the organization increasingly positions its experience in rural organizing as a contribution to the wider pro-democracy movement. Its work connects local concerns with national challenges, including political polarization, authoritarianism, disinformation, economic insecurity, systemic discrimination, and declining trust in democratic institutions.
Mission
United Vision for Idaho works to unite Idahoans across rural, suburban, and urban communities and build a people-driven movement for a more just, inclusive, and democratic future.
Executive Director Adrienne Evans
What They Do
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Building grassroots democratic power: UVI strengthens civic participation in rural and small-town communities by developing local leadership, organizing infrastructure, civic knowledge, and opportunities for residents to influence public decisions and sustain action beyond election cycles.
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Bridging divides and countering extremism: The organization creates opportunities for people with different political and social perspectives to engage constructively, identify shared concerns, and build a sense of belonging that can reduce polarization and weaken the appeal of hate, authoritarianism, and extremist movements.
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Developing leaders and organizational capacity: UVI trains volunteers, organizers, faith communities, students, nonprofits, and community members in organizing strategy, coalition building, power analysis, narrative change, nonviolent action, and systems change.
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Connecting local action with broader learning: UVI works with partners to document lessons from Idaho, share effective rural-organizing approaches, develop models that can be adapted elsewhere, and strengthen wider networks working to protect and renew democracy.
How They Do It
1. Authentic Relational Organizing
UVI uses deep listening, narrative exploration, emotional safety, and long-term engagement to build trust across differences. The approach is designed to move beyond persuasion-focused outreach and create relationships that can support personal and civic transformation.
2. The United Vision Project
This national initiative trains participants to have authentic relational conversations through self-guided learning, onboarding, sustained practice, and peer-to-peer digital outreach. Participants learn to navigate conflict, de-escalate tense exchanges, recognize shared struggles, and create off-ramps from entrenched or extremist viewpoints.
3. Democracy 411
UVI provides political and civic education through public discussions, film screenings, community conversations, and Democracy Dialogues that help participants examine democratic challenges and possible paths forward.
4. Democracy in Motion
The organization creates opportunities for people to move from learning into participation through public events, storytelling, engagement with democratic institutions, and community action.
5. Training and Workshops
UVI offers tailored sessions for nonprofits, schools, universities, educators, faith communities, businesses, and community groups. Topics include systemic discrimination, organizing fundamentals, power analysis, deep canvassing, narrative strategy, coalition building, lobbying, redistricting, and nonviolent direct action.
6. Technology-Enabled Human Connection
UVI uses digital tools to increase reach without replacing relationships. Its organizing has included community wellness checks, peer-to-peer text conversations, phone calls, virtual gatherings, and intentional follow-up that supports deeper engagement and leadership development.
7. Public Advocacy and Accountability
UVI provides practical guidance on voting, contacting legislators, communicating through traditional and social media, telling personal stories, making specific policy requests, and building long-term relationships with decision-makers.
8. Movement Partnerships and Shared Resources
UVI collaborates with pro-democracy, racial justice, rural organizing, and anti-extremism partners. It also helped establish the Democracy Resource Hub, an online collection of movement-building practices, models, and tools.
Theory of Change
Authentic Relationships + Civic Education + Leadership Development + Technology-Enabled Outreach + Collective Action → Stronger Belonging, Greater Civic Participation, and More Resilient Democracy
UVI’s theory of change rests on the idea that democratic decline is not only a problem of laws, elections, or institutions. It is also rooted in isolation, distrust, economic and social dislocation, harmful narratives, and the loss of meaningful relationships across communities. These conditions can leave people vulnerable to disengagement, disinformation, and extremist appeals.
By meeting people where they are, listening without reducing them to political labels, and connecting individual experiences to shared interests, UVI seeks to rebuild belonging and trust. Training, civic education, and sustained organizing then help participants convert that trust into leadership, participation, and collective power. The model assumes that stronger relationships and local democratic infrastructure create the conditions for lasting cultural, social, and political change.
IMPACT
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Organizing across Idaho since 1997
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1.4 million people reached through the United Vision Project across 12 states
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107,000 authentic relational conversations conducted through the national project
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5000 volunteers trained through UVI’s broader relational-organizing work
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The Democracy Resource Hub established with the 22nd Century Initiative and the Horizons Project to centralize tools and models for pro-democracy movement building
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Presentations, training, and workshops delivered to community groups, schools, faith communities, nonprofits, and other audiences in Idaho and beyond
“The power of this project …”
Take Action
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Share this story with your network.
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Join the United Vision Project training: Complete the self-guided training and connect with the team to begin practicing authentic relational conversations.
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Volunteer or attend an event: Join Democracy 411 programs, public dialogues, trainings, screenings, and community events or sign up to supportUVI’s organizing, events, outreach, and democracy-building work.
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Use civic resources: Explore voter information, guidance for contacting legislators, and the Democracy Resource Hub. uvidaho.org/resources
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Donate: Support UVI’s relational organizing, leadership development, civic education, and local democratic infrastructure. Donation Page
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Social channels: Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook
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Visit Their Website: https://www.unitedvisionproject.org
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Contact them: info@uvidaho.org
