A grassroots community initiative in Dubai is persuading UAE residents to swap doomscrolling for slow walking. The Anti-Doomscroll Stroll Club, hosted weekly by Satwa-based creative space The Karak, has grown from about 50 walkers at its first outing to as many as 150 within weeks (per The National and GQ Middle East).
How the walks work
The format is deliberately simple. Participants are asked to put their phones away, lace up trainers, and follow a paper map handed out at the start of each stroll. The route winds through old Satwa, one of Dubai's most lived-in neighbourhoods, passing local caf�s, family-run shops and hidden corners (per nom:me magazine). Walkers can go solo, pair up with a so-called stroll buddy, or move in small groups, with the shared rule of staying off their phones.
The Satwa creative behind it
The walks are led by Faizal Abdul Razak, a long-time Satwa resident and founder of a local creative collective. He curates the routes around landmarks he grew up with, framing the strolls as both an antidote to constant social-media scrolling and a way to support small businesses in the area (per The National). The Karak, the venue hosting the club, describes the concept as community-led and designed to encourage residents to disconnect from social platforms and reconnect with physical surroundings.
Why it is resonating
Organisers and participants quoted by The National say the appeal comes from fatigue with constant news updates, including coverage of regional conflicts, and from a desire to be physically present in their own city. Attendance jumped after social-media posts about the first walk, with later sessions drawing between 60 and 150 people depending on the week. The club currently meets every Sunday and plans to continue while the weather allows.
A small movement, a wider mood
The Anti-Doomscroll Stroll Club is one club in one neighbourhood, but it taps into a broader UAE conversation about screen time, mental health and walkable urban life. Coverage in The National, GQ Middle East and Gulf-region lifestyle outlets has framed it as one of the more visible examples of Dubai residents choosing offline rituals over feeds, and using their own streets as the venue.
