JOMO x Virginia Tech
I'm thrilled to announce a new partnership between JOMO and Virginia Tech University helping them build out a multi-year campus-wide digital well-being campaign. The first of its kind in America!
I've recently returned from a whirlwind week of tours, stakeholder meetings, presentations and student interviews. There is such enthusiasm for this project - from student services to the provost's office to the corps.
Building off the success of Virginia Tech’s Hokie Wellness Unwind Offline initiatives, JOMO is partnering with VT to offer consulting services on a wide range of educational initiatives and experiences to help create and implement a multi-year Digital Well-Being Roadmap for Virginia Tech.
Our goal with this innovative campaign is two-fold:
1. Student Well-Being / We desire the flourishing - mind, body, soul - of each student at Virginia Tech. We will equip students and faculty with concrete tools and strategies for digital well-being - prioritizing academic success and overall well-being so they can live joyful lives on campus and beyond.
2. VT Leadership / We desire to establish Virginia Tech as a world leader in student digital well-being, pioneering an innovative multi-year campus-wide campaign that prioritizes individual and collective flourishing.
There are no other universities in the United States doing this. We have the opportunity to put VT on the map with this pioneering work.
This first phase of our work has focused on validating the problem and building early stakeholder support. We are happy to report we have succeeded in both.
Our interviews with students have identified these key needs on campus:
Procrastination Abounds: within the last 12 months, 75% of VT students reported having problems or challenges with procrastination. Nearly 70% of VT students claimed this caused them moderate to high distress. Nearly 70% said procrastination negatively affected their academic performance by impacting their performance in class or delaying progress towards a degree.
Hooked on the Internet: mindless tech consumption (social media scrolling, binge-watching,) attention-seeking behavior and fear of missing out (FOMO) are the norms among teens and young adults leading to unprecedented levels of anxiety, distraction, loneliness and, in some cases, physical harm.
Overwhelmed by Notifications: there are systemic problems with the use of the Canvas platform including notifications from professors at all times of day (no “right to disconnect” hours, for example) and a lack of digital boundaries leading to interrupted focus and flow in deep work.
In an era of digital-first design, practical approaches are needed to effectively support the student journey and safeguard student success and mental health in a world of limited resources*. No one wants a TikTok free-for-all playgrounds, or the powerful pull of devices to interrupt learning. Young people appreciate boundaries and guidelines when they're clear and consistent (and consulted on how they're enacted).
Through educational initiatives, campus-wide messaging, classroom and residence interventions, and key research and product partnerships, we will equip students and faculty with concrete tools and strategies to use technology intentionally - prioritizing academic success and overall well-being so they can live joyful lives on campus and beyond.
Interested in partnering on this campaign or learning more about becoming a JOMO Campus? Get in touch at christina@experiencejomo.com
#JOMOcampus #experiencejomo #digitalwellbeing #tech #digitalwellness #JOMO
*Source: Digital Nutrition
