Join or Die Screening
Tuesday, September 24 | 7:00-9:30 PM
We’re diving headfirst into this year’s theme of regenerating rural with a screening of Join or Die.
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, and 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?
This screening is open to all Radically Rural attendees with two viewing options. Both require pre-registration.
- Join us in person for the screening on Tuesday, September 24th at the SHOWROOM
- Rent the film to watch virtually during a 48 hour period beginning on Friday, September 20th at 4:00 PM
Opening Ceremony
Wednesday, September 25 | 9:00-10:30 AM
Keynote Panel: Regenerating Rural by Reweaving Our Frayed Social Fabric
- Frederick Riley, Executive Director, Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project
- Fatuma Emmad, Co-Convener, Project Protect Food Systems and Executive Director, FrontLine Farming
- LB Prevette, Bar Owner, LGBTQ Advocate, and Community Organizer
- Megan Helberg, Program Director, Anne Frank Center and Former English Teacher
Trust is the foundation we need for any community development to succeed. After a half century of civic unraveling, America is reeling from a crisis of connection, with many feeling isolated, divided, and lonely. Our lack of connection and trust has led to problems as diverse as declining life expectancy and mental health, rising deaths of despair (suicide, addiction, violence), persistent social and racial tension, and political gridlock. Solutions don’t just require systems and legal changes. They require cultural change.
The Aspen Institute’s Weave: the Social Fabric Project started six years ago to support and invest in the local leaders weaving a strong, inclusive social fabric. You’ll hear from the program’s executive director and three innovative, grassroots, rural “weavers” who are bringing their communities together around what people share. From farming and food systems to travel clubs for rural youth, you’ll hear how to unleash the power of community to tackle the pressing needs and hopes where you live.
Special Guests
Guy Davis is a two-time, back-to-back Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues, a musician, Actor, Author, and Songwriter. Guy uses a blend of Roots, Blues, Folk, Rock, Rap, Spoken Word, and World Music to comment on, and address the frustrations of social injustice, touching on historical events, and common life struggles. His background in theater is pronounced through the lyrical storytelling of songs “God’s Gonna Make Things Over” about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, “Welcome to My World”, and “Got Your Letter In My Pocket”. His storytelling is sometimes painful, deep, and real, an earthy contrast to modern-day commercial music, meant to create thought, underlined by gentle tones from his guitar or banjo fingerpicking.
Abigail Rose Clarke is an author, somatic educator, writer, and artist. She is the creator of The Somatic Tarot and The Body Oracle decks, and the author of Returning Home to Our Bodies: Reimagining the Relationship Between Our Bodies and the World. Abigail grew up farming on a small family farm in Western Massachusetts, and this close relationship with the land has formed the foundation of her work and writing
Bridging What We Know with What We Do
Thursday, September 26 | 9:00-10:30 AM
In Robert Putnam’s most recent interview with the New York Times, he lamented how despite his warnings about civic unraveling in his 2000 book Bowling Alone and the hundreds of thousands of people who he has spoken with since, he has watched the nation become more lonely, disconnected, and less confident about the way forward. The reporter asked him, “Why do you think it has been so hard to get people from reading your book and understanding your argument to actually doing something about it?” Putnam hypothesized, but ultimately didn’t know. He even went so far as to say his work has been a “total failure”. That’s why when our All in for Health Track pulled in speaker Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, to talk about using emotional intelligence to close the gap between what we know and what we do, we knew we needed his input on how to close the “know-do” gap with social weaving work too. Putnam says, “Loneliness. It’s bad for your health, but it’s also bad for the health of the people around you.” Marc will share tools for weaving our experience, knowledge, and abilities through everything we do, and maybe even make some progress in rebuilding trust and civic infrastructure.
Closing Session: A Nation of Neighbors
Thursday, September 26 | 4:00-5:00 PM
In a time of unprecedented social dislocation, fragmentation, and loneliness, how do we begin to prioritize connection and repair the social fabric of our nation? The answers are often a lot simpler and subtler than we imagine. In our closing session, Shaylyn Romney Garrett, coauthor with Robert D. Putnam of The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again, will make the case that how we show up personally can shape our communities just as powerfully–if not more so–than the work we do professionally.
This interactive discussion will situate our current crisis of connection within the context of broader trends, but will also invite personal reflection on how we can shift our daily habits and behaviors to build the strong, safe, connected communities in which we all long to live. We’ll explore how thinking and acting on a human scale can bridge divides, improve social trust, and rebuild a nation of neighbors.
An Exploration of Our Theme: Regenerate Rural
Join us for an immersive 2024 Radically Rural Summit as we explore ways to regenerate rural across sectors. Regeneration is about radical change, but it is also about considering the ideas, cultures, and dreams that came before and have nourished our rural realities today.
As we all grapple with the political and social divides in our communities, we will look to history with a screening of and discussion about Join or Die, a documentary following the research of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, which explores the decline of social capital and how we can reverse it.
We will also look to the future through our keynote panel as we hear from rural leaders across the country who are actively reweaving the social fabric through innovative methods of youth engagement, health access, equity and belonging, food justice, and more.
As always, you will leave feeling energized, inspired, and equipped with tangible skills and concrete models for the work you are doing. Stay tuned for additional session announcements!
Why You Should Attend
How would having coffee with someone working in rural health change the way you approach your entrepreneur support services? Returning attendee Andrew Button from MashupLab tells us that these kinds of experiences are the reason that he comes to Radically Rural. We all have something to offer, no matter how separate our work may seem. Building collective knowledge, skills, and experiences across sectors and geographies allows us to amplify and multiply impact in our own communities.
This project was made possible with support from New Hampshire Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org.
