When fifth‑grader Eliana Fieldman sat on a Beachwood Park swing in March 2020, she thought the three‑day school closure would be brief. Weeks turned into months, and the shift to online learning left her—and many of her peers—feeling isolated.
Now a senior at Laurel School, Fieldman is turning that personal experience into a community solution. She founded Youth Connect CLE, a nonprofit dedicated to improving teens’ social health, and is hosting a “Find Your Thing Fair” on Oct. 10 in the Cleveland Public Library’s Learning Commons.
Why the fair matters
Fieldman’s research, published in a brief titled “The Practice of Belonging,” draws on sociologist Mark Granovetter’s work on weak ties and the U.S. Surgeon General’s loneliness report. She argues that casual, face‑to‑face interactions—like brief conversations with a cashier or a fellow commuter—are essential for adolescent development. The pandemic stripped many youths of those moments, leading to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and even health risks comparable to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.
“Those small‑talk moments with weak ties are so important to adolescent development,” Fieldman said. “The pandemic took that away from us.”
Interactive, research‑backed activities
The fair will replace passive pamphlet tables with interactive icebreakers. Attendees can earn colored beads on a “bead bracelet passport” by engaging in conversations with representatives from local organizations, and they can play a “human bingo” game that encourages them to discover shared interests.
“We designed these activities to spark genuine dialogue, not just a quick hello,” Fieldman explained. “It’s about building the skills to talk to strangers without feeling anxious.”
School policies supporting the mission
Laurel School’s own phone‑free policy, adopted in 2024, provides a supportive backdrop. By requiring students to dock phones, iPads, and smartwatches each day, the school has seen increased productivity and more authentic peer interaction, according to Megan Weiskopf, director of Teaching and Learning at Laurel.
“It can take over 20 minutes to refocus after a phone distraction,” Weiskopf said. “Over time, those distractions interfere with building prolonged concentration and real‑world conversation.”
In a spring survey, nearly half of student respondents reported higher productivity, and faculty noted a noticeable rise in face‑to‑face conversation in dining areas and during free periods.
Community and expert support
Eileen Anderson, a bioethics professor at Case Western Reserve University, praised the initiative. “Weak ties expand adolescent social networks beyond family circles and provide essential practice in talking to unfamiliar people, a skill that pandemic‑era youth missed,” she said.
Anderson cautioned that removing devices is only half the solution. “It’s not just what’s taken away—it’s what’s put in its place. Teens need structured opportunities to practice small‑talk and build confidence,” she added.
Looking ahead
Fieldman hopes the fair will become an annual fixture, inspiring other schools and community groups to adopt similar models. “I want every teen in Cleveland to feel comfortable saying ‘hi’ to a stranger,” she said. “When we rebuild those connections, we strengthen the whole community.”
Original reporting: Signal Cleveland — read the source article.
