YMCA breaks technological manacles to encourage physical activity
Doomscrolling in today’s world seems pretty much inevitable, with teens on average spending five to seven hours daily on their phones, mostly on social media. While social media may hold some educational and entertainment benefits, the overall lack of positive human connection and creativity can be harmful for individuals. The City of Oshkosh lent a helping hand to combat excessive phone usage during the month of February. Organizations throughout the community offered 15 different activities for families and individuals to participate in, allowing them to express their creativity, get in some exercise, and most importantly, build connections and make memories.
On Feb. 10, the downtown YMCA hosted Unplug+Play Pickleball, organized by the Oshkosh Women’s Fund. The event was held in the basketball gym, leaving half of the room for free play basketball, and the other half for pickleball. Families and friends competed against each other for the hour and a half time slot. While only two groups showed up to the event, memories were made for both overseers and the people participating.
Paul Donahue, an employee at the YMCA, participated in the event with his daughter Emma, a senior at West, and her friends.
“I thought it was kind of a neat idea for people to be able to come on a night and unplug from social media and stuff. They can take time to just explore different things,” he said.
Donahue said that taking some time away from social media is beneficial for many aspects of a person’s life, including allowing time to find personal hobbies.
“I think it’s good to have technology free days. I think it might be the start of something. If you like sports and find an itch, maybe you’ll stick to it,” he said. “I’m a big hunter and fisherman. I like being outside. I see a lot of my friends who are consumed by technology. It kind of has their attention more than what it is that they’re supposed to be focused on,”
Technology-free activities like these bring everyone closer together.
“I hope to spend some time with my daughter and I hope that she starts liking pickleball so that she can get used to playing. It’ll be good to have one more thing to entertain her mind,” Donahue said.
Lester Millette, the Downtown YMCA Branch Executive, helped set up and monitor the event. He believes in the importance of taking time away from technology.
“I think it’s important, not only to make time for exercise, but for hobbies and things like that,” he said.
Technology free days around Oshkosh allow for new and stronger connections. Millette saw these occur as he supervised.
“Connecting with family and friends—that’s what we’ve seen in the last few events. It’s not only what we did here, it’s all around the community,” he said. “Line dancing at the library, a bounce house at the arena. It’s a whole bunch of events.”
Eric Davis, an employee of the downtown YMCA, is in charge of childcare registration and billing and enjoys the new prospect of technology free events.
“I have not attended these events before,” he said. “I was asked by Lester [Millette] to come here to help out. I set everything up, took a couple of the paddles out, showed a couple of the younger kids how to hit the ball.”
The staff noticed how beneficial exercise could be, and hope to foster a love for movement.
“I think it really helps to get out and be active, instead of sitting and playing on your electronics,” Davis said.
Emma Donahue expressed her love for exercise and connection fueled by events like technology free days.
“I think it’s really important to do things that fulfill you. I like being competitive in sports because I feel refreshed after. And I like to hang out with my family and my friends without my phone,” she said. “In a world filled with technology, I think it is important to get out and exercise.”
Donahue found enjoyment not only with her friends while playing, but her dad and the staff around her.
“I liked being on a team with my dad because he taught me how to do things I didn’t know how to do before. I actually learned how to play pickleball, I didn’t know all the rules before. Eric and my dad taught me how to play. That was a really fun experience,” she said.
Emma Donahue hopes that others throughout the community will see the numerous benefits in unplugging for a few hours.
“I definitely recommend other people do this. Since there weren’t a lot of other people, there should definitely be more. It’s underrated,” she said. “Go out with your friends or family and play some pickleball!”
by Adele Faust
Published March 2, 2026
Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue V