Named for a club founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1727, Dispatch Juntos are regular, in-person gatherings of Dispatch members in communities across the country—typically at a bar, restaurant, or coffee shop—to discuss the week’s news and meet other people interested in thoughtful and nuanced conversations. Some are structured as casual happy hours; others as regular dinners. Each Junto runs a little differently, because each is shaped by the members who show up.

You just show up. A few members volunteer to organize and coordinate, but the vast majority of people at a Junto are there to attend, not to run it.

Take a look at the directory on our website and, if there is an active Junto in your area, fill out the accompanying form. Someone on our team will then put you in touch with your local leaders, who will let you know when and where the next meetup will be held.

If there isn’t yet a Junto meeting in your area, there’s a link on the directory page to express your interest. This helps us determine where demand is as we continue to expand the program.

You can register your interest—in either attending or leading—through the directory. This helps us determine where there’s enough demand to stand up new groups.

Each Junto is a little different—that’s by design—but generally speaking, you’ll find a group of people having a drink and talking about the news of the day. Leaders will often come prepared with a few topics for discussion, but there’s also plenty of time for people to just get to know one another.

There’s no fee to attend, other than whatever food and/or drinks you decide to order.

You can—and we hope you will. Juntos are open to guests, and introducing a friend or family member to The Dispatch is one of the best ways you can help us grow. Your guests don’t need to be members to attend, but all Junto leaders are equipped with unique promo codes that will give them a discount if they decide to join.

Not at all—and that’s kind of the point. The Dispatch draws readers and listeners from across the political spectrum, united by a desire to have thoughtful conversations in good-faith. There will be a real range of views at any given Junto; we don’t expect—or want—everyone to be in lockstep on every issue.

Benjamin Franklin’s original Junto required members to love “truth for truth’s sake,” not to agree with one another’s priors.

It varies by city—each Juntos’ organizers will decide on a cadence based on what works for the group—but generally once a month or so. You’re also not obligated to attend every meetup, of course—just come when you can.

No. There are Juntos actively meeting everywhere from New York City to Grand Rapids, Michigan. All a Junto needs to get started is a handful of Dispatch members who are committed to spreading the word. Some of our most active groups are in smaller cities where members were surprised to learn how many other Dispatchers lived nearby.

Dispatch writers and contributors have long argued that the answers to our country’s problems are not going to come from Washington, but rather thoughtful people dedicated to improving their own communities. That is hard to do from behind a screen.

You pick the venue, set a regular schedule, craft loose agendas or conversation topics for the meetups, and help get the word out. We help with the infrastructure—connecting you with other Dispatch members in your area, promoting your events, helping convene the group, sharing best practices. You’re not building this alone. Most leaders devote somewhere between two and ten hours a month on the program, depending on how active they want to be.

If you’re selected, we’ll reach out to you to set up an initial call and provide you with a welcome packet that includes information on how to get started. You’ll have a direct line to our community team and to other organizers around the country who are dealing with the same challenges you are. We promote your meetups, and if your gatherings grow large enough, your city will jump to the front of the line when we are planning regional events and live podcast tapings.

It helps, but no, plenty of our Junto leaders have never run anything like this before. What matters more is enthusiasm, reliability, and a genuine investment in building something. If you can commit to showing up consistently and making people feel welcome, you can do this. We’ll help with the rest.

Fill out the organizer application above. We review applications on a rolling basis, and if you’re selected, we’ll reach out to get you started. You don’t need to have a venue or a guest list locked down before you apply.

The program is built on consistency, so we’re looking for leaders who can commit to at least one meetup per month.

Yes. You run your Junto—the format, the schedule, the topics, the venue—the way you and the attendees want. We’ll offer guidance and prompts, but we believe in federalism; we’re not going to script your meetings or police your conversations. The program is built on trusting local leaders to best understand what their group wants to get out of the Junto.

For the most part, Juntos run themselves and we stay out of the way. But if something serious comes up—a safety concern, harassment, behavior that crosses a line—reach out to us to report it, and our community team will work with you to handle it.

We’d strongly prefer you don’t. Welcoming guests to your Junto will help new people discover The Dispatch and grow the community.