To kick off National Day of Unplugging (NDU) on Friday, March 6th, starting at 3pm, La Mesa Village will be hosting a fun, free event at the Farmers Market where kids can hunt for a stuffed rooster named Rodney, shop with Rodney Bucks, try cooking, do garden crafts, try healthy foods, type on a typewriter and play games.
The entire town of La Mesa is getting onboard--Mayor Mark Arapostathis is presenting a Proclamation for NDU. “As the Mayor and a school teacher I applaud and support the efforts of programs like ‘Unplugged Village’ designed to create designated times and places when students, parents and families can unplug and spend time with each other”. In addition to the Market event, people can unplug at Public Square Coffee House, La Mesa Wine Works or catch the movie Screenagers Next Chapter (dealing with social media, mental health and resilience) on March 4. Get free tickets HERE.
Help us show more people how to put away their technology and engage in real life by covering National Day of Unplugging and the events happening around San Diego.
Over the past decade, NDU has been at the forefront of the movement to educate people about the dangers involved with over-reliance on technology–especially as it pertains to handheld devices. The amount ofsmartphoneusersworldwide has reached 3.5 billion. According to recent studies, the average smartphone user taps, swipes or clicks their phone 2617 times per day, with most starting immediately when they wake up.
We can put you in touch with families who are answering the call to unplug. Shy kids like, San Diego resident, Alphie might ordinarily be found sitting on a couch face down playing with an iPad. Many kids who are shy or have delays are crippled even more by technology (which is the easiest pacifier). And it’s not only introverts who are hurt by how much technology pervades our lives. Overuse of technology is a growing concern for families all over the world. Alphie is one of the lucky ones. Her parents take care to limit her technology and get her out into the community where she has the opportunity to expand her experiences and develop her social skills. Alphie lives near the La Mesa Village which is a leading example of a community working together to help families connect and spend time offline together through the weekly farmers markets.
Click here (or see attached) to read more about how your community is supporting its residents in achieving better life/tech balance.