The AHA! Digital Cleanse takes place at El Capitan Canyon Resort each June for 4-5 days and 3-4 nights. Without any digital device access for the duration of camp, teens and staff enjoy community-building, team-building, mindfulness, and creative activities, talking/listening circles, games, free time, hikes, swimming, and cooking, eating, and maintaining the camp together. They stay in well-appointed cabins, each with an AHA! staff cabin lead. The overall staff-to-student ratio is about 1:5, so there is lots of great adult mentoring and support for the duration.
Before receiving their devices back, teens prepare for ‘re-entry’ with discussions and intention-setting around their digital device use after camp. A meetup is held the month following camp to check up on how everyone’s doing with their digital habits post-cleanse.
For more information about the Digital Cleanse or to be placed on an interest list to receive an application for the coming year’s camp as soon as it is available, contact René García-Hernández, AHA! Director of Community Engagement, at rene@ahasb.org.
