Last February, we hosted a screening of Join or Die, the documentary about the decline of social and civic engagement in America. It sold out. The room was full. The energy was real.
Before the film, we did something simple and intentional: we invited 16 local membership organizations to set up tables for an hour. Rotary, Scouts, the Petaluma Woman’s Club, the Danish Soldiers Club, and many others were there—not pitching, just talking with people who were curious about joining something.
The film struck a nerve in Petaluma because it names something many of us feel but rarely articulate: the quiet erosion of connection. Based on the research of Harvard professor Robert Putnam (Bowling Alone), Join or Die shows how participation in clubs, churches, and civic groups has collapsed—and why that matters for democracy, health, and happiness. The takeaway is disarmingly simple: join something.
The screening at the Polly Klaas Theater was made possible by an extraordinary group of local organizations, including AAUW Petaluma, Aqus Community Foundation, Cool Petaluma, Blue Zones Petaluma, multiple Rotary clubs, the Petaluma Woman’s Club, the Danish Soldiers Club, Hermann Sons Hall, and many more. This was a community effort in the truest sense.
Two follow-up screenings in March and April—at Aqus Café and the Petaluma Woman’s Club—were also packed.
Since then, something interesting has happened. Many of the participating clubs have seen noticeable membership growth. People didn’t just watch a film; they acted on it.
See main Just Join Something page for more information and for a list of local organizations to join.