On June 12, Denver residents can attend a free screening of the award-winning documentary “Join or Die” at the MCA’s Holiday Theater in Highland.
The event is hosted by Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC), a nonprofit coalition of Denver’s registered neighborhood organizations (RNOs) in collaboration with more than 35 community organizations throughout Denver.
“We are thrilled to partner with organizations from across Denver to highlight the importance of neighborhood and community groups in the social fabric of our city,” said Keith Meyer, president of INC.
Co-hosts include Berkeley-Regis United Neighbors, Denver Elks Lodge #17, Denver North High School, Sloan’s Lake Citizens Group, Sloan’s Lake Park Foundation, Highland United Neighbors Inc. and Bienvenidos Food Bank.
“Join or Die” tells the story of Robert D. Putnam, a social scientist, Harvard professor and National Humanities Medal recipient who published a study in 1995 titled “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital.”
The research that would soon go viral argued American civil engagement had been declining for decades and that governments are more effective when constituents are engaged. The film breathes new life into Putnam’s research, leveraging aesthetic graphs to demonstrate how measures of civic engagement, such as club attendance, public trust in government, and union membership, declined between the 1970s and 1990s and beyond. The documentary also features commentary from political leaders such as Hillary Clinton and Pete Buttigieg and six diverse community organizations from around the United States. Filmgoers will hear from a Black urban cycling collective, an episcopal church and an Indigenous mutual aid and advocacy group, among others.
“With ‘Join or Die,’ we aim to introduce Putnam’s research on the importance of community to democracy and the decline in American community engagement over the past decades to millions more Americans—and especially to young Americans who were not alive to experience Bowling Alone going ‘viral’ decades ago,” said brother-and-sister director and producer team, Rebecca and Pete Davis.
In its 50 years as an organization, INC has made some significant progress to voice neighborhood concerns at the city level.
For instance, Denver’s Municipal Code now requires that RNOs receive notification of and opportunities to participate in matters that may impact their neighborhood, such as zoning map amendments, sale of city-owned land, new liquor and cabaret licenses, and more, due to INC initiatives.
Denver residents who want to get involved have a lot of options. In the city of Denver alone, there are 169 registered neighborhood organizations and there are 18,242 non-profit organizations in the Denver Metro Area.
How engaged are Denverites already? Recent data on volunteerism and community organization from the U.S. Census Bureau and Americorps found that in 2023, 34.7% of Colorado residents formally volunteered through organizations, 32.3% belonged to an organization, and 67.4% informally helped others by exchanging favors with their neighbors.
These numbers increased from the prior year, but the percentage of formal volunteering by Colorado residents decreased more than 5% since 2019 where it sat at 42.2%. In comparison, Utah ranked number one in the country with 46.6% of residents engaged in formal volunteer activities in 2023.
While government effectiveness is one symptom of increased community involvement, Keith pointed out that the benefits extend far beyond the ballot box. “Community is not just about streets and buildings; we create a sense of belonging and support that makes our neighborhoods feel like home,” he said. “The more we connect with one another, the stronger and better off we all are.”
Tickets to the June 12 screening of Join or Die are free, but an RSVP is necessary. RSVP at givebutter.com/dcff2025.