Why The Fate of America Depends on You Joining a Club

Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it.

On Saturday, the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) and Tusten Social are partnering to host an afternoon focused on civic engagement and community-building with a free screening of the documentary Join Or Die at Krause Recital Hall in Narrowsburg, NY.

In this feature documentary, follow the half-century story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into America’s decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis.

Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, a Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly… What can we do about it?

Ariel Shanberg Executive Director of DVAA and Greta Knutzen of Tusten Social appeared on Radio Chatskill to talk about the central message of the film: that a healthy democracy depends on citizens’ sense of connection to each other, and that connection depends on participation in organizations of all kinds, from churches to bowling leagues.

Image: In the feature length documentary Join or Die, Follow the half-century story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into America’s decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis. (Credit: joinordiefilm.com)