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The purpose of this contribution is to describe and analyze how involvement in citizenship practices is a factor contributing to the geographical mobility and social recognition of rural youth. The article is based on quantitative research (face-to-face and self-administered questionnaires) conducted with young secondary school students in the Lot department. First, the authors examine the role of family heritage in engagement, but also that of rural young people's personal experiences of participation in citizenship projects. These were shown to be important factors in enabling young people to escape from their local and social invisibility. Secondly, the obstacles to this process are identified, in particular the absence of policies dedicated to youth in rural areas and the rarity of citizenship practices among young people in relation to low population density. The results are discussed in the light of the avenues of reflection they suggest for combating social and geographical determinism and enabling rural young people to escape from the invisibility in which they are often immersed.