The AHA! Digital Cleanse

Thirty-seven people…19 teens and 18 adults…gathered together at a campground for five days device-free to and reconnect with nature, creativity, and community.As communities were forced to hunker down in isolation from each other throughout the worst of the COVID pandemic, we watched in horror as depression, anxiety, and suicidality soared. We saw this across all populations, but especially in teens, whose primary developmental task is to build connections with each other and with trustworthy adult mentors.

We watched ourselves and others spend unprecedented numbers of hours on screens. The intensity of widespread addiction to digital devices had reached a peak none of us could have imagined before the pandemic. They were our only way to stay connected, and we were thankful for them for that reason; but our eyes and brains were tired and our souls were hungry.By Spring of 2021, we both longed for and feared re-emerging into the world of in-person connection.A lightning bolt of inspiration came after a viewing of the brilliant and painful documentary, 'The Social Dilemma.”

What if we at AHA! were to face this screen addiction head on? What if we were to create a five-day digital cleanse for teens and adult facilitators, where they could separate from life online completely in a beautiful place, enjoying lots of phone-free connection, creative workshops, and team-building outdoor activities?AHA! put out the word nationwide in March for enrollment in a hoped-for June session, pending a lifting of COVID restrictions. We made available both paid and scholarship opportunities.

By June, we knew it was a go, and on June 21st, a highly diverse group of adults and teens convened. Within two hours of arrival, following an exuberant and funny phone-surrender ritual and locking up of phones, the group already felt like a great big family.Days were spent kayaking, horseback riding, and exploring the natural environment through group and individual art and movement projects, profound listening exercises, hikes, lawn games, and beach fun. Participants shared vulnerability in Council Circles, stepped out of their comfort zones in movement sessions and art and writing activities, and sang together around the campfire.

There were free-time conversations and play, as well as targeted support in moments of struggle. People connected deeply with nature, enjoying the beauty of towering oaks and sycamores throughout their cabin areas and seeing lots of wildlife…including curious raccoons around the campfire, adorable ground squirrels, rabbits, deer, weasel, quail, and a red-tailed hawk that swooped low enough during a quiet group activity for us to hear its wing feathers rustling.

No one even seemed to notice the absence of devices aside from recognizing how differently we could be together without them.On the third day, as teens and facilitators sat building connectedness and empathy in a Council Circle conversation, a group of teen girls not part of the cleanse walked by. All of them were immersed in their own individual cell phone screens and disconnected from each other and the natural beauty surrounding them. This did not go unnoticed by all the adults and teens in the Council, who felt gratitude for being where we were…gaining a new perspective on the value of life off devices.

In the final hours of the camp, there was music making, many hugs, many tears, deep appreciation spoken out loud face to face, and lots of laughter and joy. All participants, teens and staff alike, had made new friends, deepened existing friendships, and opened our hearts to one another and ourselves. When it came time to receive devices at the end of camp, most of us were reluctant to even turn them on.Surveys of the teens and adults who took part showed a dramatic increase in sense of emotional closeness, enjoyment of time in nature, trust of adults, positive thoughts, empathy for others, emotional intelligence, and feelings of fitting in and belonging, and a decrease in negative thoughts and digital dependency. Surveys of parents asked to gauge changes in their child reflected even more dramatic improvement in the same areas. 'I received so much love and that gave me motivation to give the same to all those around me,” shared one teen on their post-survey. 'I noticed I was much less anxious when away from devices,” shared another.

A parent emailed AHA! soon after his daughter returned home: 'My desire for my daughter to attend this camp was to give her a sense of self that is beyond her hand-held device or computer. Not only was that achieved, but a greater sense of self in relation to others was founded and nourished. As one participant openly shared in the closing circle, ‘We came here looking for friends and we are leaving with family!' To lay the foundation and create this shift in young people in a week's time takes dedicated, skilled and attentive staff and administrators.”Teens wrote letters to donors who provided scholarships.

One wrote, 'After being at home for a year with toxic relationships I could not leave, this experience helped me with finding support. I was able to both laugh and cry and be surrounded by people who did not judge me, but instead make me feel safe. I have learned I don't need to hide away and try to forget my problems by going on my phone...I am leaving camp with support, peace, joy, love, and much more.” Another teen shared: 'Throughout this week I've learned more than I do in school. I can't believe someone really donated their money for someone they have never met! It really warms my heart! I will take this kindness and give it to someone else!”In five days, a world of busyness and screens disappeared, and a community of all ages, races, genders, and ideologies found love and inspiration in a common ground of embodied connection.

AHA! is a non-profit in Santa Barbara, California, that has served teens, families, and educators since 1999.