I hear you about the subversion! The case study I described - the student opera - had a lot of subversive elements in it. I describe them in more depth in this paper.
However, the subversion is orthogonal to the sense of meaning and purpose. The science on meaning and purpose shows that self-reflection, community and social bonds, and serving others are what contribute to meaning and purpose. Other activities might as well, but so far these three are the ones supported by the science. So whether it was a meeting of people who did not care much for official norms, as was the case in the mathematical club you were in, or "true believers" who studied Lenin's works, of which there were a number as well as I discuss in this paper, the communal nature of the activities would contribute to a sense of meaning and purpose. I imagine that at the math club, there would be tutoring of others, and since that is a way of serving others, it may contribute better to a sense of meaning and purpose than the study of Lenin's works, as it includes two of the three science-based aspects of gaining meaning and purpose.
Seems to me that what provides the "meaning and purpose" is group activities with voluntary participation and mutual interaction. (For example, having hundred people in a cinema doesn't provide meaning, despite being a voluntary group activity, but having a dozen of them meet afterwards and discuss the movie does.)
The practical question is: who will organize these activities? Because there are costs (paying for the place, time and energy spent organizing), and the success is far from guaranteed.
If someone organizes group activities with a profit ...
My peer-reviewed article in a psychology journal on the topic of meaning and purpose in a non-religious setting is now accessible without a paywall for a limited time, so get it while it's free if you're interested. I'd be interested in hearing your feedback on it. For those curious, the article is not directly related to my Intentional Insights project, but is a part of my aspiration to raise the sanity waterline regarding religion, the focus of Eliezer's original piece on the sanity waterline.