Putting Down the Screens, Picking Up Something Real

What happens when young people put down their phones and pick up something real?

At the Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud, we’re finding out.

 

This year, we decided to lean into something a little old-fashioned: hands-on, “analog” experiences. Less time in front of screens and more time doing things that can be felt, touched, tasted and shared.

 

At first, it wasn’t exactly an easy sell.

 

But something started to change.

 

Young people began gathering around tables to finger knit, bead, bake, garden, make pizza and work on projects together. The television and video game stations in our teen center - once the focal point of the room - now sit waiting to be repurposed. Instead, youth gather around beading boards and looms.

 

In Rosebud, a small finger-knitting group that started with just a handful of youth has grown into a daily activity. Older youth teach younger ones. Newcomers are welcomed into the circle. The chains get longer, and the projects become more creative.

 

That part is especially meaningful to us.

 

We didn’t teach everyone. We taught a few - and they taught each other.

 

The same spirit is showing up throughout the Club. Gardening means hands in the soil. Cooking means measuring, kneading and sharing a meal. Beading means slowing down and building something one tiny bead at a time.

 

These activities may seem simple, but they create opportunities for something much bigger: conversation, creativity, patience, friendship and connection.

 

What started as a decision to turn down the screens has become something much more meaningful. Our young people are finding one another. They’re teaching one another. They’re making things with their hands. And they’re discovering that sometimes the best way forward is to slow down and reconnect with the world right in front of you.