Gather well, year-round.

Est. 2009

Start Gathering

We support people in gathering with intention and unplugging with purpose – offering year-round tools, inspiration, and guidance to make digital well-being a lived, felt experience.

Donate Today

Rituals

Annual GDU, the world’s first 24-hour digital break, has been our entry point for sparking year-round community building and real-world connections since 2009.

Guidance

We offer hands-on guidance and strategic support, empowering communities to gather and co-create digital well-being rituals and habits tailored to their unique needs.

Tools

We provide grassroots leaders with tools, resources, and networks that support gathering and build community rituals meant for connection, belonging, and purpose.

Spark the Movement

  • The Annual GDU 2026: March 6-7

    The world’s first 24-hour digital break, held every first weekend of March since 2009.

    Annual GDU

  • The Unplugged Movement

    Unplug Map

  • Unplugged Membership

    Gain the resources, tools, & guidance to lead a vibrant Village. Member donations fuel the GDU programs supporting schools, families, & grassroots communities worldwide.

    Become a Member

  • Unplugged Village®

    Community-led programs that foster connection, belonging, & collaboration through recurring gatherings across schools, farmers’ markets, & third spaces.

    Unplugged Village®

  • Unplugged Schools

    Empowers college & K-12 students, educators, & youth organizations to create recurring gatherings that foster digital well-being, balance, & safety.

    Unplugged Schools

  • Unplugged Markets

    We collaborate with local vendors & organizers to host recurring unplugged activities, turning farmers’ markets into vibrant spaces for families & communities to connect.

    Unplugged Markets

  • Unplugged Spaces

    Helping leaders transform everyday places like cafés, bookstores, & pubs into vibrant, screen-free spaces where communities can reconnect and find belonging.

    Unplugged Spaces

  • Unplug Collab

    A seed-funded cohort that opens during available funding cycles, powering local leaders with funding, tools, and support to design creative unplugged gatherings.

    Unplug Collab

“Happiness is rooted in trust, kindness, and social connection. It is up to us as virtuous individuals and citizens to translate this vital truth into positive action, thereby fostering peace, civility, and well-being in communities worldwide.”
– Jeffrey D. Sachs

The Place to Start.

We’re living in a noisy, always-on culture where constant connectivity is costing us real connection. The places and practices we once turned to for belonging are fading away. People know they need better balance, but most don’t know where to start.

You’ve found the place to start.

Join Global Day of Unplugging and help spark the shift back to what truly matters.

Why Unplugging Matters

Behind every pin is a community committed to powering human connection over digital engagement.

Will your community join the Unplugged Movement?

Unplug Map

FAQs

  • Yes! The name is deceiving; we support Gatherers from all over the world throughout the year. However, every year during the first weekend of March people around the world take a pledge through planning Gatherings to unplug for 24-hours. It’s a great way to start building our relationship! GDU 2026 will take place March 6-7!

  • You can get involved by hosting an Unplugged Gathering at any point during the year, becoming a Member, or being a Brand Partner!

  • You can host an Unplugged Gathering for GDU 2026 March 6-7th, be a part of a seed-funded cohort (when Unlpug Collab has funding), or just host a Gathering any day of the year (here)…

  • We call our “events” Gatherings because they are more than just events - Gatherings require intentionality, education, and sensitivity due to the fears people have around unplugging.

    We believe everyone is a Gatherer at heart, whether you know it or not. Humans NEED to Gather in order to feel belonging. The term Gatherer represents those who work with us because they are willing to rally around and share the Unplugged Movement with their communities.

    We call “guests” or “attendees” Gatherlings because as we said above: Everyone is a Gatherer at heart.

  • If you're looking to experience an Unplugged Gathering in your area, check out our Unplugged Map.

  • Simply, just go to our Resource Hub tab and check out the Unplugging Ideas, where you'll find 200+ ideas to unplug on your own time.

  • Though we wish we could provide seed-funding through Unplug Collab all year round, we are only able to when funding allows for it. The more you build a relationship with us through your Gatherings and completed Wrap-Up Surveys the bigger your chances are at being accepted into a seed-funded cohort.