Last week, I led a conversation at BarCamp Philly—a place that holds a special spot in my heart. My wife and I made the journey from Connecticut just to be there. The talk was called “How BarCamp Can Save Democracy,*” and yes, that little asterisk is important. I'll explain.
In the meantime, here's a voice summary of the talk:
And the audio of the full talk:
What is BarCamp?
For those of you unfamiliar, BarCamp is an open, participant-driven unconference where the attendees are the speakers. The original BarCamp started because a few folks wanted to push back against exclusive conferences that limited access. So they created something radical—a space where everyone could come, everyone could participate, and where nothing was predetermined until everyone showed up. That openness and accessibility became a blueprint for movements everywhere. It’s the kind of decentralized, open-source community action that I think can genuinely make a difference in the world, especially today.
So, why connect BarCamp to democracy? It’s because of this idea called social capital—a concept popularized by Harvard professor Robert Putnam. Putnam’s research shows that successful democratic societies are built on a foundation of people who know each other, trust each other, and show up for each other. It’s about creating those connections—whether it’s bowling leagues, book clubs, or community cleanups. When we have strong social networks, we have a stronger democracy. When those networks dissolve, things fall apart.
Putnam's book, “Bowling Alone,” reveals that while individual activities (like bowling) might be up, group participation is way down. We’re seeing declines in every kind of communal gathering—from church attendance to club meetings to just getting together with friends. And as we’ve seen this decline, we’ve also seen increased loneliness, increased division, and a deterioration of our collective social health. The fate of our communities, and even our democracy, depends on how we show up for each other.
The power of an invitation
The antidote to all of this? Getting out of the house, being around other people, and inviting others along with us. That simple act of invitation can change lives—I shared the story of my uncle, who’s been volunteering for 20 years at an organization called Give Kids the World, all because a guy at work asked if he was free one weekend. One invitation changed the entire course of his life. Imagine if we all invited each other to do one thing—to join one group, to attend one event—what kind of change could we create?
BarCamp itself is a great example of the power of these decentralized, open-source movements. A bunch of people in San Francisco decided they wanted to create a space where everyone could participate—and now there are BarCamps all over the world.
It was made to be copied, shared, and remixed by anyone, anywhere. And that, to me, is part of how we can save democracy—by creating more opportunities for connection that are easy to start, easy to join, and open for everyone.
I also talked about newer community initiatives, like Silent Book Club—an introvert-friendly social gathering where people meet, socialize briefly, and then just quietly read together. It's such a simple concept, but it’s open-source, and now there are over a thousand chapters around the world.
These kinds of initiatives are crucial because they’re creating real-life opportunities for connection, and they’re scalable.
They sure beat staying home alone and doomscrolling the news.
Making connection simple and accessible
The heart of the talk was really about how we can support these kinds of initiatives and create more of them.
We have to start inviting people again—to show up, to connect, and to organize. It doesn’t have to be a huge event with a logo and a mailing list. It could just be inviting someone over to watch a game, or gathering a few neighbors for a hyper-local coffee meetup. The power is in making it simple and accessible.
And yes, sometimes it’s okay if a community project ends after a while—success isn’t measured by how long something lasts, but by the connections and impact it makes while it’s happening.
So, if you’re reading this, I invite you to invite someone. Let’s make more opportunities to gather, to connect, to be around each other—to do something, anything, that builds our social fabric. Whether it’s starting a new meetup or just joining one that already exists, your participation matters. And maybe, just maybe, these small acts of gathering can help save democracy—one connection at a time.
If you’re interested in being part of more conversations like this, reach out. Let’s keep building together.