Laurel School senior Eliana Fieldman understands that despite social media’s promises of connection, the digital world can be a lonely one for teens to navigate, with effects felt far beyond the screen.

“I thought about the public health crisis that I lived through, which was of course the COVID-19 pandemic, and I began researching the after effects,” Fieldman, a Beachwood resident and congregant of Congregation Shaarey Tikvah in Beachwood, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “I felt really lonely during the pandemic, which was kind of the precipice for this entire thing.”

Hoping to provide teens with an opportunity to discover local, social outlets, Fieldman is spearheading the first Find Your Thing Fair for teens ages 13 to 18 through Youth Connect CLE from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Cleveland Public Library main branch at 325 Superior Ave.

Fieldman, 17, founded Youth Connect CLE as a direct result of her school capstone research project that focused on social connection and loneliness in the post-pandemic digital age. The research, she shared, was inspired by her own experience participating in isolating, online Zoom classes in 2020.

“I began researching in hopes that there would be some type of new innovation or something that I could do to create action and make teens feel more connected,” she said. “I came across an organization in Pittsburgh called Pittsburgh Social Health that has organized connection fairs for adults. A connection fair is basically a big event that brings together clubs and different organizations across the community to get people involved.”

After speaking with Pittsburgh Social Health founder Haley Ingersoll about how she could adapt the program for teens in Cleveland, Fieldman launched Youth Connect CLE in March 2026 with the goal of hosting the Find Your Thing Fair as the organization’s main annual event.

Taking place at the Cleveland Public Library, Fieldman said that the fair will feature clubs, hobby groups, and youth organizations from throughout Northeast Ohio in attendance to speak with teens about involvement opportunities outside of their school communities. The idea, she said, is for teens to “find their thing.”

“We have 16 organizations spanning all types of interest areas, from healthcare opportunities and future careers, to leadership opportunities,” Fieldman said.

To encourage participation, Fieldman said that attendees will each receive a “bead passport” to help them navigate from table to table, in addition to a few other surprise activities.

“Every organization will have a bowl of beads and each participant will take their string and build a bracelet as they walk around and visit the different tables,” she said.

For Fieldman, the goal behind the event is to help local teens feel more connected outside of their school communities and to help them build a network of “weak ties” throughout Northeast Ohio – a theory that she came across during her research.

“The Weak Tie Theory basically says that acquaintances will ultimately help you get more jobs down the road than your best friend,” Fieldman said. “I think creating those acquaintances across the Cleveland community is going to be a network that we can leverage for our entire lives, and by starting as teenagers, we have the ability to cultivate a community that goes far beyond our own beliefs.”

Outside of the fair, Fieldman hopes to launch a local organization directory on Youth Connect CLE’s website in early November, invest seed money in teen organizations that wish to form outside of schools, and train peer “connection boosters” to attend events throughout the city and get more teens involved.

“Cleveland is such a diverse and vast place with so many different opportunities,” she said. “I want teens to come away from the experience having been connected with more opportunities, being connected with each other, and being connected with different future opportunities for themselves.”

The event is free, but space is limited. To reserve a spot, visit shorturl.at/4yeWc.

Youth Connect CLE is part of the Thriving Youth Series through the city of Cleveland.