Cleveland Fair Will Foster Teen Social Connections
The upcoming Find Your Thing Fair on October 10 encourages Cleveland teens to rebuild face-to-face social habits.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Youth
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High school senior Eliana Fieldman is launching the Youth Connect CLE initiative to help teenagers overcome digital dependency. The effort includes the Find Your Thing Fair, which takes place on October 10 at the Cleveland Public Library.
Why it matters
The initiative addresses teen social isolation stemming from pandemic-era digital habits that hinder meaningful connection. The Surgeon General has noted that chronic loneliness carries health risks equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
The fair targets teens aged 13 to 18 and features 14 confirmed local organizations. Research indicates that phone-related distraction can require up to 20 minutes for a person to fully refocus their attention.
The players
Eliana Fieldman
She is a student at Laurel School and the founder of the Youth Connect CLE initiative.
Cleveland Public Library
This is a major public institution serving as the venue for the upcoming youth fair.
Laurel School
It is an academic institution that implemented a policy requiring students to dock mobile devices in 2024.
The details
The event utilizes gamified icebreakers like human bingo and bead bracelet passports to facilitate direct interaction between participants. This project follows Fieldman's 2023 research brief, The Practice of Belonging, which examined the erosion of social ties during and after school closures.
Timeline
March 2020 marked the start of initial school closures for Fieldman.
2023 was the year Fieldman began researching teen social isolation.
January 1, 2026, is the deadline for Ohio public schools to adopt phone bans.
October 10, 2026, is the date for the Find Your Thing Fair at the Cleveland Public Library.
Culture Shift
This initiative represents a move away from passive digital consumption toward active community participation. It echoes the broader transition in schools where rigid policies, such as Ohio's mandate for cell phone bans, are being paired with new efforts to rebuild lost social skills.
Parents and teens in the area can participate in the fair to explore extracurricular options and practice face-to-face social interaction. This initiative offers a practical outlet for families looking to reduce screen time and engage with local organizations.
The takeaway
Teenagers can benefit from intentionally structured environments that replace digital scrolling with physical, interpersonal play. Replacing habitual device use with active engagement is a foundational step toward improving long-term mental well-being.
What happens next
The Find Your Thing Fair is scheduled to take place at the Cleveland Public Library on October 10, 2026.
Further reading
For more information on programs impacting the local community, visit the Youth section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Signal Cleveland.
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