Seven years ago, Rafi Santo of Hive Research Lab (formerly of Global Kids) and I bumped into one another at an event thrown by the Parsons Design & Technology program here in NYC.

We were both there on behalf of our organizations, Mouse and Global Kids, who together have had a decades-long history focused on youth leadership in NYC and beyond -- connecting the young learners of NYC's public schools to an innovation context that for most of those students felt otherworldly, despite being only a subway ride, or, in some cases, a walk away for them.
The two of us chatted over pizza and plastic cups of soda while these aspiring makers, tinkerers, and designers playtested the work of graduate students in the program.

Groups sat to play RPGs while their designers took copious notes, watching over their shoulder; others signed up to test geolocative games on mobile devices in the neighborhood; and some sat around studio tables playing (and then interrupting to give feedback) lo-fi paper prototypes that represented a much more raw form of the ideas that these graduate students had cooked up.

This was PlayTECH Saturday, a culminating studio experience for graduate-level D&T students, where, by demonstrating their creations, the Design School set them up to realize important lessons about playtesting, formative cycles, and the importance of demonstrating ideas to others.

In this and hundreds of other contexts where educators like Rafi and I turned up, many of us wondered together: Why would so many learners in our city -- who we're desperately trying to motivate into STEM fields -- not have a chance to experience this process (one so authentic in the contexts where we're hoping they'll aspire) until making their way to graduate school? (If they can afford it.) (And if they realize a pathway from where they are now, to a high school diploma, to a college degree, and so on.)

The first few Emoti-Con! events were funded on a shoestring and have brought together hundreds of youth who show off their work, compete for prizes, and build a network for a new generation of NYC-area digital innovators.

Two years ago we added a youth planning committee that co-produces the event. The upcoming Emoti-Con! will be our 6th Anniversary and anticipates 200 youth from upwards of 30 digital media and technology programs.

This year’s Emoti-Con! will feature a great agenda to engage youth in the process of demonstrating their ideas, connect them with peers who share their interests, and inspire them to continue driving the spirit of innovation.

The main event is the Youth Digital Media and Technology Challenge, a youth-led design competition to feature NYC’s most innovative media and technology projects across the spectrum of non-formal creative technology and media programs.

Amazing keynote speakers from several industries will engage youth to think about pathways to their future, and all participants will gain important opportunities to network with peers, join group design challenges, and connect their voices to a shared dialogue about the role of digital media and technology in our lives and our future.

On behalf of the Emoti-Con! 2014 Steering Committee (composed of staff from four of NYC's unique youth programs for young innovators and makers), we invite you to support this year’s Emoti-Con! Competition, Saturday, June 14th, 2014 by doing any of the following:

• Like us on Facebook

• Follow us on Twitter @EmotiCon_NYC and tweet your support - "Can't wait for the 6th annual @EmotiCon_NYC. If you care about the future of innovation, learn more & RT: http://emoti-con.org #STEM"
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Read more about this years event, follow-up to hear about this year’s winners, or download our sponsorship doc at http://emoti-con.org.