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Artist and Art Educator
Project Unplugged
Project Unplugged addresses the real-world issue of media addiction with our students and the social and emotional disconnect that is affecting their mental health as a result.
Through Project Unplugged, students will build a healthier, more balanced relationship with their devices by reflecting deeply on their media habits and engaging with art to build their own creative space that represent their core values.
With the support of art educators, school faculty, and members of our educative communities, students will be able to re-connect with their values and build their intrinsic motivation to create more interstitial time to be more in the moment with the activities that bring them joy.
How You Can Join Our Efforts to Unplug
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Art Educators - Lead students to connect and create their own Unplugged Box.
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Teachers - Collaborate in bringing this project into your classroom.
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Students - Reflect on your values and share your ideas to create your own meaningful creative space.
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Community Partners - Donate recycled mixed media supplies and materials for students to use in their artmaking (books, magazines, paint, etc.)
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Parents - Encourage your kids to actively manage their media habits by having an ongoing discussion with them about their values and goals.
Learn More About Supporting Teen Mental Health through the Work of Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt
Why It's Important
Recent school cell phone policies have produced significant positive results for students at school, but extra support is needed in helping students find a healthy balance in their media usage.
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Project Unplugged aims to encourage and motivate students to create a more meaningful connection to what they value in life by thinking critically on what engaging with media means to them and building self-awareness of their media habits through creative expression.
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What Students Will Be Creating
Students will be brainstorming, designing, and creating their own version of a "Cell Hotel" by constructing a wooden open-faced box holding a tri-fold hinged frame inside that students will use as a canvas to create a visually reflective mixed-media space of their values and/or goals.
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Where and When
Plans are underway for this project to be kickstarted at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara during the school year of Fall 2025 - Spring 2026.
The goal is for this project to extend to other middle and high schools within the district.
Active Survey Participants
Students and faculty will be participating in surveys to gauge their experiences on the recent phone policy and gather their insights on the effectiveness of the phone hotels.
This data will be essential for understanding the necessary needs of the students and faculty and providing a baseline for measuring changes this project has.
If you are a faculty member interested in participating in our survey, please scan the QR code inserted in the PDF below.
Faculty Survey PDF
AI Art Concept of Project Unplugged