Reclaiming the Spaces Where Real Life Happens

Young people are
lost.

Kizzuna is a film and speaking initiative made by young people who grew up without the spaces childhood needs — and found their way back to something real. Bring it to your campus.

Book for Your Campus Watch the Trailer

The Space We Lost

We grew up without
third places.
Without afternoons that
didn't belong to anyone.
Without the boredom
is beautiful, not productive.

Then we got phones — and suddenly there was somewhere to go. They promised connection. Belonging. Somewhere to be. And for a while, it felt real.

We're asking about both.

filming 1

Our Work

We lost the space.
Then we found
the phone.

The space came first. Childhood used to have physical places, unstructured time, the freedom to be bored and find something better. That space started disappearing in the 70s and 80s — before any of us had a phone.

Then phones arrived and offered connection, stimulation, somewhere to belong. They stepped into the void — a response to what was already missing. Kizzuna explores both halves of that story through the documentary Disconnected and our live community events.

Lost Childhood Space Free Play & Exploration Digital Displacement Reclaiming Connection Real-World Community
About the Film

Why This Matters Now

The numbers behind
both stories.

0h

Hours of free time the average American child has lost per week since 1981 — mostly from unstructured outdoor play. This happened before anyone had a smartphone.

0h

Average daily recreational screen time for Gen Z (Common Sense Media, 2023). Not because we love our phones. Because the space the phone promises — connection, belonging, somewhere to go — stopped existing anywhere else.

0%

Of college students report feeling overwhelmed. They're carrying two things at once — and most of them don't have a word for either one.

Two things happened to this generation. Most people only talk about one of them.
To solve this crisis, we need to address both.

From Campuses Like Yours

What they're saying.

"It was powerful, authentic, and was exactly the kind of conversation schools should be having right now."

Laura Burke

VAIL School, Colorado

"After the detox, I actually had time to call my mom."

Student

CU Boulder

"After it, I felt not only educated on the dangers of screen time and social media, but a drive to make a change for myself."

Student

Fairview High School

Ready to Bring Kizzuna to Your Campus?

Your students are already feeling this.
Give them a space to talk about it.

We work with student life offices, programming boards, counseling centers, and academic departments to create meaningful, well-attended events.

Book an Event Meet the Team