West Seattle Joiners to launch with ‘Join or Die’ movie and ‘Joiner Jamboree’

West Seattle Joiners is a new organization evangelizing something that’s been at the heart of WSB for more than a decade and a half – making sure you know about what’s going on in the community, and how to jump in, whether it’s checking out a small club or getting involved with a not-so-small organization. The Joiners are working to bring people together face to face, and their first events – just under a month away – will do just that. Here’s the full announcement we just received:

Community is better in person. Looking to find your people—or your purpose—in West Seattle? Mark your calendar for a weekend of community, conversation, and connection with two back-to-back events designed to inspire civic engagement and local belonging.

Friday, November 7 – Film Screening: “Join or Die”
Kick off the weekend by joining West Seattle Meaningful Movies for a special screening of the documentary Join or Die—a thought-provoking film that explores why joining clubs, civic organizations, and community groups matters more than ever. Stay afterward for an engaging audience discussion about how connection and participation can strengthen our neighborhoods.

Location: Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation
7141 California Avenue SW
Time: Doors open at 6:45 PM | Film begins at 7:15 PM | Discussion until ~9:15 PM

Admission is free! Pre-registration is appreciated, but not required.

Saturday, November 8 – West Seattle Joiner Jamboree
Continue the momentum at the West Seattle Joiner Jamboree, a vibrant community fair featuring over 40 local clubs and organizations from West Seattle and White Center. Meet current members and discover new ways to get involved–from social clubs and service organizations to creative and outdoor groups.

Location: St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (Fellowship Hall)
3050 California Ave SW
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Admission is free! Pre-registration is appreciated, but not required.

Experience the film, then explore the connections, and leave inspired to join in and make a difference right here in West Seattle.

Pete October 9, 2025 (3:20 pm)

Can this group provide more information on what they are trying to accomplish? Not sure about the second event. Is there someplace to get a listing of the 40 organizations that will be there? Also, is there some form of program for this second event ?

Julie October 9, 2025 (9:22 pm)

Hello Pete. Thanks for your interest in our event and its purpose. We are attempting to boost and deepen community engagement, right here in the SW peninsula. The event is open to clubs and organizations that have a presence in West Seattle, White Center and South Park. Put simply, it is a community fair that allows clubs and their members to share what they are up to with the rest of the community at large. The tabling groups will bring club information and field any questions folks have about joining the group. For the community members, it is an opportunity to connect with organizations they may have never heard of. We’ve been doing outreach to all the groups we could find in West Seattle since June–using the WSB event calendar, our knowledge of clubs with long histories here, Meet-up & Heylo, The list started with about 40 possible particpants and we now have over 117 potential leads for clubs, volunteer corps within non-profits, and groups. When this is all over, we hope to publish a Civic Directory for West Seattle, so it’s easier for everyone to stay connected. We haven’t been able to reach them all as this has taken the form of lots of one on one discussions once contact is made. Everyone has been receptive to the idea. There seems to be a real hunger for expanded community and connection. The full list of participants will be announced shortly–by the end of next week. We are still accepting clubs who would like to participate and can staff a table on Saturday November 8th. If a club is interested you can email us at westseattlejoiners@gmail.com and provide contact information and we will follow up and get you onto the directory and the festival. As the date gets closer, we will post updates to the WSB as they become available. I hope that helps clear up some of the details.

Seattlite October 9, 2025 (3:49 pm)

FYI: American History: “Join or Die” was a political cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin and published in May 1754 to unify America’s British colonies against the French.

Julie--West Seattle Joiners October 9, 2025 (9:37 pm)

“Join or Die” is a documentary film that details the work of Robert Putnam released in 2023. It’s tag line is “A film about why you should join a club and why the fate of America depends on it.” He really believes that our decline in civic and community engagement since the late ’60’s is driving our current inability to work together to solve shared problems in local and national governments and has lead to difficulty in even engaging in civil discourse about problems. I found the film quite compelling. I think it’s a great film to have some deep community discussions around. After I saw it, I wondered what possible opportunities for joining clubs existed right here in West Seattle. That lead to our hunt for them and the start of our spreadsheet to get them all listed in one place. The film’s title is a bit jarring. They use the imagery from the history you reference above. The real reference to the joining or dying comes from research quoted by Mr. Putnam in the film that joining just one club or organization cuts ones risk of death in half over the next year. That’s a great reason to poke around and see if there might be something interesting in our community to get plugged into. The film is also available currently on Netflix, in case making it to the screening on the 7th is impossible, if anyone wants a sneak peek, or to host their very own watch party with their friends and neighbors. Of course, life is better in person, so we hope to see folks at both events in November.
- Seattlite October 9, 2025 (11:16 pm)
  
  Julie…Once Civics classes in public schools started declining in the 1960’s, students did not properly learn the structure of America’s government. Fast forward to the 21st Century and one can find that the majority of public school students cannot pass a test on basic civics questions such as: What are the three branches of government? My point is that for students, adults to become engaged with their communities it is important to understand the basics of America’s government’s structure on national and local levels. A recent tragic event in Utah put a spotlight on the fact that Americans cannot even debate about America’s problems and challenges without some Americans becoming unhinged. I am a senior citizen and was educated in Seattle’s public school system in the 50’s and 60’s at a time when education was about learning traditional/classical subjects including civics classes. Politics were not included except in understanding American’s history and Contemporary Problems classes which led to class discussion, at the time, about the Vietnam War. If the clubs are educational with the freedom of discussion and debate, I can definitely see a positive advantage.
  - Julie October 19, 2025 (5:20 pm)
    
    From what you have described, I bet you would absolutely love the documentary film “Join or Die”. It’s currently streaming on Netflix and will be shown on November 7th as well at the announced two day festival. Does a deep dive into what’s required for a thriving democracy and for people to trust their government and each other. If you get a chance to watch it, message me. I’d love to discuss it further.
  - nrrd October 28, 2025 (9:46 am)
    
    It doesn’t really matter if the club is directly educational. Membership in clubs also provides real-life opportunities for experiencing leadership in areas they are interested in, working with others, organizing, and directly or indirectly educating folks about civic engagement. I also highly recommend watching the documentary.

Joe October 10, 2025 (4:01 pm)

West Seattle Joiner Jamboree Tickets, Sat, Nov 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM | Eventbrite is a quick summary of this opportunity to survey the clubs and groups, engage neighbors in conversation and invest in ways to connect in person in our community.