Join In — LEADERSHIP OHIO

New Release:
*Join In:* Revitalizing Civic Life

**Reclaiming the Spirit of Association to Strengthen Ohio**
Duty, L., Feight, A., & Neem, J. N. (2025). *Join In: Revitalizing Civic Life – Reclaiming the Spirit of Association to Strengthen Ohio*. Leadership Ohio.

A Civic Call for Our Times

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the question before us is not only how we commemorate the past - but how we commit to the future. Across Ohio and the nation, we see signs of fraying: declining trust, rising isolation, and the quiet erosion of the civic habits that once bound us together. Yet we also see signs of promise - in small towns and big cities, on porches and in parks, where neighbors still gather, serve, and strive together. Our new publication is a hopeful call to join in - to rediscover the power of voluntary association - of showing up for one another as members of a shared civic life.

Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club, and why the fate of America may depend on it. Now available on Netflix.

Watch highlights from the Join In Statewide Tour – 8 cities, 554 Ohioans and 42 counties - with one call to action. Video by Ondo Media.

Join In – Uniting Communities in Ohio

Statewide Tour 2024 - 2025

Across the country, people are wondering: What happened to America? Have we lost touch with our neighbors and shared destiny? If so, what is the cause? And most urgently: What can we do to come together?

In response to the U.S. Surgeon General's declared "epidemic of loneliness and isolation," Leadership Ohio launched the Join In Statewide Tour in Summer 2024. This initiative traveled across five regions of Ohio reaching 554 Ohioans from 42 counties, screening the powerful documentary “Join or Die” by Delevan Street Films. Based on the groundbreaking research of Ohioan Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, the film underscores the crucial role of clubs and civic organizations in fostering community and strengthening democracy. Friends and families, schools and workplaces, faith organizations, and communities - everyone - was invited to Join In. Ohioans had the chance to watch this exclusive film, engage in meaningful discussions, and learn about mending and strengthening the social fabric of our state and nation.

Participants came away from Join In events feeling empowered:

"I am thinking about social and civic connectedness in a new way." 8.8/10
"I can make a positive difference in my community." 9.1/10
"I can take action to influence the things I care about." 9.2/10

Click below to learn more about our past events.

2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Dayton Metro Library (Main Branch)
215 E. Third Ave. Dayton, Ohio 45402 | Suzy Bassani Theater (3rd Floor)
Host Partners: The Collaboratory & Dayton Metro Library
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Vern Riffe Center for the Arts 940 2nd St., Portsmouth, OH 45662
Host Partners: Scioto Literary & Shawnee State University
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Club Fair: 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Bowling Green State University Firelands Campus
1 University Dr, Huron, OH 44839 (McBride Auditorium)
Host Partner: Erie County Community Foundation
5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Lorain Historical Society - Carnegie Center
329 W 10th St, Lorain, OH 44052
Host Partner: El Centro de Servicios Sociales
EHOVE Career Center
316 W Mason Rd, Milan, OH 44846
Host Partners: EHOVE & Erie County Community Foundation
Note this event was for youth only and not open to the public.
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Medina Library
210 South Broadway St. Medina, OH 44256 | Community Rooms A & B
Host Partner: Medina County District Library
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Athena Cinema
20 S. Court St. Athens, OH 45701
Host Partner: Foundation for Appalachian Ohio
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Columbus Metropolitan Library
96 S Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215 | Auditorium (1st Floor)
Host Partner: Columbus Metropolitan Library
5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Buckingham Meeting House at the Licking County Historical Society
5 North Sixth Street, Newark Ohio 43055