Over the past two decades, the balance between spending time outdoors and indoors on screens has shifted. As screens have become more central to our daily lives, the time we spend in nature has decreased. This shift has contributed to the growing mental health challenges we face today.

At Unplugged Clubs, our goal is to help both children and adults rediscover the joys and benefits of spending time in nature, away from screens.

We know from research that spending time in nature offers significant benefits for both mental and physical health. Being outdoors helps to calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and promote overall well-being. The sensory experiences—such as hearing birdsong, feeling the rustle of leaves, smelling the woodland scent, or tasting freshly picked blackberries—naturally soothe us, inspire our creativity, and lift our mood.

In developing our programs, we have incorporated principles from rewilding, ecotherapy, and forest school pedagogy, working closely with children and parents to ensure our activities are engaging and enjoyable. We have created a nature-inspired curriculum designed by and for young people, allowing them to discover their strengths, work on their weaknesses, learn self-regulation, and enjoy socialising, cooking, gardening, crafting, and relaxing. Each activity is an invitation, providing every child the time and space to work at their own pace.

In the past five months, we have observed many positive changes in the girls who have attended our sessions. They have grown in confidence, made new friends, and enjoyed a variety of activities, from cooking and crafting to gardening and physical play. We continuously gather feedback to improve and adapt our programs to meet each girl's needs.