What is Be Here with Brick?
Launching Fall 2026! Stay tuned!
Be Here with Brick is a campus-wide initiative designed to help students create intentional moments of focus, connection, and presence in their daily lives.
Through simple, self-directed digital detox tools, Brick gives you the option to pause distracting apps for a set amount of time, whenever you choose. It’s not about being offline. It’s about being more present in the moments that matter to you.
You can use Brick in two ways:
- Campus Brick Stations available across campus for quick, on-the-go use
- Semester Brick Loan Program if you want your own device for more consistent use
How to Use Brick
1. Download the Brick App
Set up your account and get access to your Brick settings.
2. Customize Your Settings
Choose what you want to manage before you start (which apps you want to pause, set schedules or time limits that fit your routine, etc.)
3. Tap Your Phone to a Brick
Use a campus Brick station or your personal loaned Brick device to activate your settings.
4. Be Here
Your selected apps pause so you can focus, study, connect, or simply enjoy the moment.
5. Reconnect Anytime
When your session ends or you tap your phone to the Brick again, your apps return automatically.
Brick Stations Across Campus
Quick digital detox moments are available to every student through free Brick stations located around campus.
Whether you’re studying, working out, eating with friends, or heading to class, Brick gives you the opportunity to intentionally unplug for a little while.
Brick Station Map Coming Soon!
Want Your Own Brick for the Semester?
Students can apply to receive a personal Brick device through Curry Health Center Wellbeing & Counseling Services.
Participants:
- keep the device for the semester
- create their own digital wellness routines
- complete pre- and post-surveys to help evaluate the student experience
Semester Loan Program Information and Sign-Ups Coming Soon!
Additional Digital Detox Ideas and Tips
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In addition to using Brick stations or a loaned device, you can build intentional breaks into your daily routine using the Brick app.
Try scheduling regular “phone breaks” for times when you tend to be most distracted or overwhelmed, such as:
- during the school or workday
- in the evening before bed
- during meals or social time
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Small changes can make a big difference in how often you reach for your phone.
Try:
- Switching your phone to grayscale (monochrome mode)
- Turning off non-essential push notifications
- Deleting apps you don’t truly need
- Moving social media off your phone (use only on a computer if possible)
- Keeping only essential apps like calls, texts, and calendar
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Instead of using your phone everywhere, try limiting where and when it’s used.
Ideas include:
- Designating phone-free times (classes, meals, studying, walking between places)
- Creating a “phone home” — one consistent place you leave your phone in your living space
- Keeping your phone out of your bedroom when possible
- Using airplane mode during focused or rest periods
- Charging your phone outside your bedroom and using an old-school alarm clock
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It’s normal to reach for your phone when you’re bored, stressed, or overwhelmed. Try swapping the habit with something else:
- Urge surfing (notice the urge without acting on it)
- Deep breathing or grounding exercises
- Progressive muscle relaxation or guided meditation
- Doing something offline that feels enjoyable
- Calling a friend instead of texting or using an app
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Everyone uses their phone differently, what works for someone else might not work for you.
Take a moment to reflect:
- What situations make me reach for my phone most?
- What helps me feel more present or focused?
- Which of these strategies feel realistic for me right now?
Try a few ideas, adjust them, and build what works for your own routine.
Be Here with Brick is a UM Flagship Fund Initiative.
Thank you to our partners with the UM Flagship Fund, Grizzly Athletics, Curry Health Center, and more for supporting this campus-wide effort.