In Fall 2007, a small group of community leaders and concerned residents gathered in Harlem to brainstorm creative ways to engage NYC youth in thinking about and taking action on critical community issues. The planning group was guided by the philosophy that our youth, empowered with well-honed critical thinking and advocacy skills, are current and future leaders of our communities and thus essential partners in the movement for positive social change. With a mission to “encourage NYC youth to play an active role in strengthening our communities,” the planning group organized the first annual Conscious Gear Expo in July of 2008. The event successfully engaged approximately 100 NYC middle and high school students in identifying pressing community challenges and creating thought provoking t-shirt slogan to raise awareness about those challenges.  (See video of CGE 2008 here: www.eclipp.com/tshirt/.)