Recently, University of Wisconsin-Superior students got a chance to put away smartphones and laptops with an “Unplug to Reconnect” mindfulness retreat at Camp Amnicon.

“It was amazing. We had four staff members and nine students attend,” said Krisi Patterson, Director of Campus Recreation at UW-Superior.  “All but one was an international student, and the experience was unforgettable.”

Organized by UW-Superior’s Campus Recreation, the Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being and the student Mindfulness Club, this inaugural two-day event encouraged students to take a break from technology.

“We encouraged the students to put their technology away for as much of this as possible; perhaps even leaving it at home. And it was awesome,” said Lori Tuominen, Wellness Program Manager for UW-Superior’s Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being.

“It was a sensational feeling,” said Daniela Castiblanco Diaz, a junior from Bogota, Columbia, majoring in English and public leadership and changemaking with minors in philosophy and political science. “I was for the first time in a long time living in the present. I could appreciate the minimum, but at the same time, maximum details such as the privilege of being alive and breathing without any condition or disability; having the opportunity to be in the U.S.; and having this amazing time to reconnect to my inner self. Therefore, not having my cellphone was an opportunity to give quality time and space for myself.”

Activities included hiking, card games, puzzles, coloring and roasting marshmallows. The weekend concluded with a canoe trip on Amnicon Lake before heading back to campus.

“Going without technology was really refreshing,” said McKenna Nash, a sophomore majoring in outdoor recreation with a minor in business administration. “In hindsight, it made me realize how much I was on my phone and how much all the people around me are on their phones. This retreat was very fun, and I hope that we can put it on again in the future.” 

“I want to thank the Pruitt Center for creating programs like this retreat that prioritize students’ well-being,” said Diaz. “Every person in charge of this retreat actively engaged in the mindful activities as if they were participants, too. This aspect made me feel surrounded by a real environment, an environment surrounded not by workers but by human beings who are also in a process of progress in their personal and professional lives.”