In 1727, a young man in Philadelphia began organizing weekly meetups at a local tavern to discuss and debate questions of politics, philosophy, and morality. This club—called the Junto, after the Spanish word for “council” or “assembly”—consisted of 12 members, each of whom was required to pledge that he “love[d] truth for truth’s sake” and that he would dedicate himself to the improvement of both himself and his community.
“We had from the beginning made it a rule to keep our institution a secret,” the group’s convener later recalled, but “the Junto was found so useful, and afforded such satisfaction to the members, that several were desirous of introducing their friends.”
The Junto, created by a 21-year-old Benjamin Franklin, would go on to change the course of history.
Our ambitions here at The Dispatch aren’t quite so lofty, but we agree with Franklin about the importance of the free exchange of ideas and of continuous self-improvement. In fact, we nearly named our publication Junto back in 2019 to honor those values and traditions.
Six years later—and nearly 250 years after the ideas that Franklin and his peers discussed culminated in the American Revolution—we are thrilled to be launching our Dispatch Junto program, bringing Franklin’s conception into the 21st century. But for this to work, we need your help.
We’ve hosted a number of events across the country in recent years—from Washington, D.C., and New York City to Seattle, Des Moines, and Grand Rapids—and without fail, we have been blown away by the turnout and the enthusiasm of our members. At a gathering in Chicago a few years ago, we met a reader who had driven from Colorado in order to attend. These members were showing up to meet Jonah, Steve, Sarah, and other members of the team, yes, but they were also showing up to meet each other—to be reminded that they weren’t alone in looking around and thinking that things had spun wildly out of control.
As the past several years have confirmed, the solutions to the United States’ cultural and political morass are not going to come from Washington—they’re going to come, to paraphrase Margaret Mead, from small groups of thoughtful, committed citizens around the country.
Enter the Dispatch Junto program.
We are looking for dedicated Dispatch members interested in organizing regular meetups in their communities—at a local happy hour, restaurant, or coffee shop—for local Dispatch readers and listeners, as well as guests who are interested in learning more. We’ll help promote the events and convene the group—and offer you some pointers for discussion topics—but you’ll run your Junto the way you and your fellow members decide. And if your gatherings grow large enough, your city will jump to the front of the line as we plan our next regional event or live podcast taping.
If you’re interested in applying to lead your local Junto—or just want to learn a little more about the program—please fill out the form below. We’re looking forward to building this with you.
