At WC Unplugged, we’re working to raise kids well in a digital age. We believe face-to-face interaction is a cornerstone of mental health, that free play and childhood independence are critical for healthy kids, and that parents should be the architects of family culture, not big tech. Curious to learn more? This event is for you. Join us in person at our September Kick-off meeting to find your people and help plan our priorities for 2026-2027.

Our kids are growing up in a digital world. How can we help empower them to use tech without letting tech use them? How can we make educated decisions as parents? Want to hear from an expert? Come out to hear from Dr. Nicole Amoyal Pensak about the impact of smartphones, social media, and texting on the adolescent brain. Learn how to help our kids develop resilience skills and protect their brains with considering delay of certain tech as well as intentional usage of the tech you have — wherever your family is in your tech journey. It's never too early to prepare. It's never too late to make adjustments. Make educated decisions for your family. The presentation is for both the students and their parents to attend together. Parents of all ages of children welcome. The event is recommended for students in grades 4-8. ALL STUDENTS WHO ATTEND WILL BE GIVEN A FREE ICE CREAM CONE. ALSO, STUDENTS WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN A BAGELMASTERS GIFT CARD! Please RSVP by 9/21 so that we can be sure to have enough ice cream on hand for all our kids.

But everyone has a phone!” - what do you say when your child asks for one? How do we help our kids navigate phones, social media, gaming, and constant screen access when it feels like everyone else already has it? Join us for a casual community gathering at the clubhouse to learn more about The Balance Project, a parent-led initiative focused on helping families create a healthier balance between technology and real-world connection. We’ll walk through a short presentation covering: • What The Balance Project is and why it was created • How families can handle the pressure around getting a first phone • Practical ways to create healthier technology habits at home • How local parents can support each other instead of feeling like they’re making these decisions alone • What we can do together here in the Fort Mill community This isn’t about eliminating technology. It’s about helping our kids have more space for friendships, independence, outdoor play, sports, creativity, and family connection — while introducing technology in a more intentional way. 📍 Location: The Massey clubhouse and residence club, 1840 Felts Parkway, Fort Mill, SC 29715 📅 Date: 24Sep2026 ⏰ Time: 6pm (start the presentation at 6.30pm) Parents, grandparents, educators, coaches, and anyone interested in supporting healthier childhoods are welcome. Come meet other local parents, ask questions, and be part of building a community where families don’t have to navigate these decisions alone. Please RSVP and share with another local family who may be asking the same questions.

Come out for a playdate and phone number exchange! The Croton Community Collective recently arranged a discounted promotion on Tin Cans - and lots of families now have a landline that is ready for calling! Let's get together to exchange phone numbers and encourage our kids to call each other via their home phones. We will be passing out phone books and gel pens for the kids to decorate and write down numbers. Snacks will be provided. Croton children with other types of landlines (or no landline yet at all) are welcome and encouraged to join! Note: There is a $10 parking fee to park at Croton Point Park. If this fee will prevent your family from attending, please reach out to the CCC (crotonccc@gmail.com) and we will happily cover this expense for you - no questions asked. We will meet at the picnic tables near the far playground - look for the orange and black balloons!

Let's get together! Ever wondered what it might be like to volunteer with OR Unplugged, be part of a parent group, or even lead your own? Come on down to OR Unplugged headquarters on Sunday, August 16th and let's connect about it. Everyone is welcome - parents, kids, coalition members and leads, future and current volunteers, interested friends, your neighbors, your mom, and your mom’s neighbors! The more the merrier! Childcare for ages 3+ and light snacks provided.

We invite you to the FIRST of FIVE community meetings for the 26-27 school year. Whether you've been to every meeting or haven't made it to one yet, please join us! Topics may include: - Screen reduction in schools - Smart phone alternatives - Supporting literacy in schools - Local business involvement - TBP Scarecrow - TBP initiatives - Wait Until 8th, Free Play Friday, Kids at Play signs, Balance Bags

How attached are your kids to their screens? How attached are you? How are your kids (and you!) faring with the new state law prohibiting phone use in schools? Did you make a bucket list this summer? Join us as we talk about these things and more at the latest meeting for the Long Valley Balance Project

This event is for parents and youth of all ages. In many high-performing communities, young people absorb a powerful—and often unintentional—message: that their worth is tied to grades, accolades, and productivity. The result is rising rates of anxiety, burnout, and disconnection, even among kids who are doing everything “right.” This event introduces the concept of mattering—the idea that young people thrive when they feel seen, valued, and connected, not just evaluated. Speaker Stephanie Malia Krauss is an educator and author of How We Thrive: Caring for Kids and Ourselves in a Changing World and Whole Child, Whole Life. Drawing on research and real-world experience, she offers parents, educators, and young people practical ways to push back against achievement culture and create conditions where youth—and the adults who support them—can truly flourish. Bring friends and family.

Come join an evening of community connection alongside a local author and expert Dr. Meredith Elkins. Whether you have parenting anxiety or are actually parenting a child with anxiety, this event will explore both experiences. Join Meredith in a conversation with a panel of educators and parents surrounding her book Parenting Anxiety: Breaking the Cycle of Worry and Raising Resilient Kids. No RSVP required. Feel free to read the book ahead of the event or copies will be available the next night of the event as well.

"We need to do everything that we can not to allow [human connection] to become a luxury good... we need to be very intentional on how that happens." – Dana Suskind, MD Join us for a lively discussion of Human Raised, Dr. Dana Suskin's new book about parenting in the age of AI. Please RSVP; space is limited. Purchase the book from Celia Bookshop here: https://celiabookshop.com/item/uFul1NHY3vBWEl5_m_QRug

Join the Conversation A free statewide community conversation about The Digital Delusion A teacher watches a class disappear into their Chromebooks and wonders whether the lesson would have landed better on paper. A parent reads a screen-time report from the school portal and has no idea what to do with it. Those two people should be talking to each other. That's what this is. This fall, The Balance Project- Central Virginia is hosting a six-part community conversation around Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath's The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning — and How to Help Them Thrive Again. We read about fifty pages every two weeks, meet on Zoom for an hour, and talk it through. On January 25, Dr. Horvath joins us live to answer the questions we've gathered all fall. It's free, it's open to anyone in Virginia, and you don't need to have made up your mind about technology in schools to belong here. The best conversations happen when people who see things differently actually sit down and talk it out. If you teach, or lead a school, you'll leave with: - Language for what you've been noticing: the research behind why a room goes quiet and unproductive the moment the laptops open - A clear read on what the evidence actually supports, so when a purchase or a mandate comes down you can respond with something sturdier than a hunch - Colleagues in other divisions working through the same thing. This is a statewide room, not a building-level gripe session - An hour with a Harvard-trained learning scientist who spent years teaching If you're a parent, you'll leave with: - A grounded sense of what screens are doing to learning: separate from the screen-time panic, and separate from the marketing - Specific questions to bring to your teacher, your principal, or your school board, and the confidence that they're the right ones - A much clearer picture of what teachers are actually working with, which changes how those conversations go - Company. 4,041 Virginians have signed our petitions on this. You are not the only one asking. The details - Six Monday evenings, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., on Zoom October 19 · November 2 · November 16 · December 7 · January 11 · January 25 - Free and open to anyone in Virginia - About fifty pages every two weeks — and come even if you didn't finish - You will need to obtain your own copy of the book. - Live only, never recorded, so people can say what they actually think - Register once; the same link works for all six evenings Register by October 5 and the reading schedule reaches you in time to start. After that you're still welcome — you'll just be reading a little faster.

Explore the latest kid-safe phones, watches, music players, cameras, and digital wellness tools—all in one place. Meet company representatives, compare products, and discover healthier technology solutions for your family.

Digital Delusion: A Two-Part Community Book Discussion. What happens when technology designed to make life better starts changing how we think, learn, and connect? Join us for a two-part discussion of The Digital Delusion: How Technology Can Be Used to Restore Human Connection by educator and neuroscientist, Paul Leonardi. 📚 October 29 & November 12 | 6:30-7:30pm 📍 In person | Free event For anyone in the Pennridge community who cares about kids and technology—parents, caregivers, educators, staff, administrators, grandparents, etc. Register using the link or QR code. For more Info about the book visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/838437/the-digital-delusion-by-jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med/

Join us for an essential lecture by the acclaimed Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, on Monday, November 2nd from 5:30-7:30pm at Sanctuary Hall (1126 SW Park Ave. Portland, OR 97205). Jared Cooney Horvath (PhD, MEd) is a neuroscientist, educator, best-selling author and expert in the field of human learning. His new book "The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kid's Learning - And How to Help Them Thrive Again" pulls back the EdTech curtain and explains the research showing how digital tools in the classroom consistently undermine learning. It also explains how parents, teachers and schools can push back with purpose. As a leading expert in the field of learning and technology, Jared testified at the US Senate about EdTech, and is an internationally sought after speaker. Sponsored by the Institute for Families and Technology and OR Unplugged. Reserve your tickets at the link below!

Find Analog Answers — Find Parenting Strategies — Find Free Fun for Kids From smartER phones for kids to phone locks and more, multiple vendors will be on hand to help you choose technology that supports kids' healthy development and suits your family's needs. Speakers will offer real world solutions and practical advice for raising kids well in a digital age. Games and crafts with supervision to keep kids entertained on-site while you explore and learn.