Kizzuna
Kizzuna
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.
The invisible bond that ties people together — the force that intertwines lives, communities, and hearts across distance and time.
Popularized worldwide after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, when Japan chose 絆 as the kanji of the year — a symbol of resilience and the enduring power of human connection through even the deepest rupture.
That's the word we built this around.
The Space We Lost
Then we got phones — and suddenly there was somewhere to go. They promised connection. Belonging. Somewhere to be. And for a while, it felt like enough.
We're asking about both.
Our Work
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 — not as the cause, but as a response to what was already missing. Kizzuna explores both halves of that story through the documentary Disconnected and our live campus events.
Why This Matters Now
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.
Average daily screen time for Gen Z. Not because we love our phones. Because the space the phone promises — connection, belonging, somewhere to go — stopped existing anywhere else.
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.
That's where we start.
From Campuses Like Yours
"It was powerful, authentic, and was exactly the kind of conversation schools should be having right now."
VAIL School, Colorado
"After the detox, I actually had time to call my mom."
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."
Fairview High School
Ready to Bring Kizzuna to Your Campus?
We work with student life offices, programming boards, counseling centers, and academic departments to create meaningful, well-attended events.