CUP: Recent pages: Projects/UrbanInvestigations

Bronx Be Well

Fielding Hong — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 15:29:29 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/BronxBeWell

Welcome to West Farms in the South Bronx! There’s a lot of beauty here. Like the food, the music, and the spirit of the people. And there’s a lot of things that aren’t easy about living here. Like one of the highest rates of unemployment and poverty in New York City. West Farms also has some of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, and asthma in the city. And the COVID-19 pandemic has made things even more difficult for a lot of our neighbors.

Why are there such high rates of poverty and unemployment in our community? How do these things impact our mental health? What can young people do to address mental health concerns in our community and take action to support our neighbors?

In the summer of 2021, CUP, Teaching Artist Hugo Rojas, and students from the Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School collaborated to investigate these questions. Students explored the issue through digital filmmaking, creating stop-motion animations, surveying community members, and interviewing stakeholders and decision makers.

The group gathered what they learned and created a short documentary film that explores how poverty impacts mental health. Watch the film below!

Students debuted their final project virtually through a public presentation, where they presented their film and shared their creative process.

See more photos of students in action here!

Puff Puff Passed

Fielding Hong — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 15:27:49 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/PuffPuffPassed

In April of 2021, the New York State legislature passed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) to legalize recreational marijuana use. Communities like Red Hook, where inequitable enforcement of drug laws has led to mass incarceration, are concerned about continuing to be penalized even after legalization.

How will marijuana legalization impact New Yorkers? How can the harm be repaired? Who will benefit? How will it impact youth?

In the Summer of 2021, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Elliott Golden and public high school students from the Red Hook Community Justice Center to investigate these questions. Students explored digital filmmaking by shooting commercial parodies, creating stop-motion animations, surveying community members, and interviewing stakeholders and decision makers.

The group gathered what they learned and created a short documentary film that explores the impacts of marijuana legalization on New York. Watch the film below!

Students debuted their final project virtually through a public presentation, where they presented their film and shared their creative process to almost one hundred attendees.

See more photos of students in action here!

Can You See My Screen

Fielding Hong — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 10:19:57 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/CanYouSeeMyScreen

When schools closed in March 2020, about 16 million K-12 students in the U.S. didn’t have access to a working device, high-speed Internet, or both. This digital divide disproportionately affects Black, Latinx, and low-income students. What is the digital divide? How does the lack of digital equity impact students doing remote learning? What could the future of digital learning look like?

In the spring of 2021, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Stephanie Eche and students from KAPPA International High School in the Bronx to investigate this issue. Students designed their ideal remote learning environments, surveyed their peers and community members, and interviewed key stakeholders working on the issue.

The team gathered what they learned and created Can You See My Screen?, a poster that teaches others about the digital divide and how we might close the gap.

Students premiered their final project virtually through a public debut presentation, where they presented their booklet and shared their creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

See more photos of students in action here!

Watch a video of the students describing their creative process here!

Health Inside And Out

Fielding Hong — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 15:52:39 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/HealthInsideAndOut

In the Summer of 2019, New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene warned New Yorkers that contact with the legal system has lasting impact on people’s mental health and physical health. From police stops and searches, to having a relative or community member incarcerated, interactions with the system cause lasting harm.

How does incarceration impact the mental and physical health of individuals and their communities? How is incarceration a public health issue?

During the winter of 2019, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Farideh Sakhaeifar and public high school students from Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy International High School to unpack the public health impacts of prisons and jails on New Yorkers and their communities. To investigate, students surveyed members of their community, interviewed stakeholders working on the issue, and created art work that explored ideas of incarceration and liberation.

Students created a booklet to teach others what they learned about incarceration and mental and physical health.

Get your own booklet here!

See more photos of students in action here!

Check out the students talking about their work below!

In The Streets

Fielding Hong — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 11:20:59 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/InTheStreets

In 2020, protests for racial justice swept through the country and around the world. What are protestors’ rights? What responsibility do police have to support or protect these rights? How can young people protest safely?

In the winter of 2020-2021, CUP, Teaching Artist Hugo Rojas, and students from the Bronx School for Law, Government & Justice collaborated to investigate the limits, purpose, and power of protest. Students created GIFs, surveyed community members, interviewed key stakeholders working on the issue.

The team gathered what they learned and created In the Streets! – a documentary that teaches others how to protest safely for causes that matter most to them and their communities.

Students premiered their final project virtually through a public debut presentation, where they presented their film and shared their creative process. Students also screened their film at a special schoolwide presentation.

Watch the documenatry below!

See more photos of students in action here!

Its Not Just In Our Heads

Fielding Hong — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 10:01:40 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/ItsNotJustInOurHeads

From sudden school shutdowns to the pressures of social media, young people are dealing with a lot these days. As conversations about mental health become more common, there’s a growing sense that many of our personal struggles might not just be all in our heads. What’s mental health? What impacts our mental health? How can young people find support? How can we support others?

In the winter of 2020-2021, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Stephen Kwok and public high school students from Life Sciences Secondary School to investigate this issue. Students created art therapy activities, surveyed community members, and interviewed key stakeholders working on the issue.

The team gathered what they learned and created It’s Not Just in Our Heads, a booklet that teaches others about mental health, how it impacts our daily lives, and how to support others that might be struggling with their mental health.

Students premiered their final project virtually through a public debut presentation, where they presented their booklet and shared their creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

See more photos of students in action here!

Watch a video of the students creative process below!

What The Cell

Clair Beltran — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 18:36:23 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/WhatTheCell

Blackberries, Razors, and Droids, OMG! We spend so much time with them, but cell phones are still a mystery. How do our voices travel through the air? Why do our bills work the way they do? Who owns the air?

An intrepid crew of NYC high school students from St. John’s Recreation Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn worked with teaching artist Helki Frantzen and CUP to unscramble the signals. They interviewed engineers, lawyers, consumer advocates, and electrophysicists; and scoped out Consumer Reports test labs.

They created this documentary about the switches, wires, and policies that affect your cell phone service to help you get to know your airwaves a little better. The video has already been screened at national media conferences and is being used by such organizations as the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition and the Center for Media Justice.

Watch the whole video below, or get your own copy of the video and educator’s guide here!

This project is also part of Dialed In: A Cell Phone Literacy Toolkit.

Good Cops Bad Cops More Cops No Cops

Fielding Hong — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 11:07:22 -0500

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/GoodCopsBadCopsMoreCopsNoCops

Throughout the spring and summer of 2020, people across the country protested racism and police brutality. After watching Black people like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Tony McDade, Elijah McClain, and too many more be killed by police, people everywhere proclaimed BLACK LIVES MATTER! They called for defunding the police, reforming the police, and holding police accountable to the communities they’re supposed to serve and protect.

But what does police accountability actually look like in NYC? How can we reimagine public safety? How can young people be involved?

In the Fall of 2020, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Marianna Olinger and public high school students from the Red Hook Community Justice Center. For this project, which was done remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students created silkscreened posters at home, interviewed stakeholders and decision makers over Zoom, and worked online to collaboratively edit together a short documentary film that explores ideas of police accountability and public safety.

The crew gathered what they learned and created Good Cops? Bad Cops? More Cops? No Cops? — a short video that breaks down the issue. Watch the film below!

Students debuted their final project virtually through a public presentation, where they presented their film and shared their creative process to almost one hundred attendees. Students also shared their project with other youth in the community through several peer-to-peer workshops. CUP students screened their film, shared their creative process, and faciliated conversations about the issue in small groups.

See more photos of students in action here!

Talking Trash Throwing Out The Big Apple

Fielding Hong — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 14:06:25 -0500

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/TalkingTrashThrowingOutTheBigApple

Since the Fresh Kills landfill closed on Staten Island over 15 years ago, NYC has exported all of its trash to other places to be buried or burned. Everyone from government officials to local residents have debated this complicated process, but one thing all folks agree on is that this current system is too costly and difficult to maintain. Where does our trash go and who makes these decisions? What’s the dirt on NYC’s mounting trash problem?

In our first Digital Investigation, CUP and Teaching Artist Dillon de Give partnered with students at Frances Perkins Academy in Greenpoint to dig deeper into the complicated world of garbage infrastructure. To find out more, students visited places like a local waste transfer station and a recycling facility. They interviewed key decision makers including a private waste carrier, an environmental activist, a Department of Sanitation staff member, and the Chair of the City Council Sanitation Committee.

Students collaborated with the Teaching Artist to edit and refine their findings into a documentary-style video that explains where our trash goes, who decides, and how else the current system could work.

Students debuted their documentary to a full house at the Wythe Hotel Screening Room, where students shared their video and discussed their creative process.

Check out the video below!

Data Face

Fielding Hong — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 11:19:12 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/DataFace

What is facial recognition technology? How does the use of facial recognition technology by the police impact New Yorkers? How do we balance public safety and privacy?

During the 2019-2020 school year, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Hugo Rojas and public high school students from the Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice to explore the complicated world of facial recognition technology and its impact on local communities. To investigate, students got out of the classroom to survey members of their community, interview key stakeholders working on the issue, and create art to decode, rewire, and redesign the possibilities of facial recognition technology.

The group teamed up with Designer Stephanie Winarto to create this website to teach others what they learned about the effects of facial recognition technology on New Yorkers, present and future.

Check out the DataFace website here!

Check out more photos of the students in action here!

Swipe Out

Fielding Hong — Fri, 08 May 2020 11:04:25 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/SwipeOut

In the summer of 2019, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) announced a new campaign to stop fare evasion, including plans to hire 500 new police officers. What’s fare evasion? Who gets policed and prosecuted for fare evasion? What does public transit for all look like?

In the fall of 2019, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Stephen Kwok and public high school students from Life Sciences Secondary School to investigate the crackdown on fare evasion and its impact on local communities. Students installed public artwork, surveyed community members, and interviewed key stakeholders working on the issue. The crew gathered what they learned and created Swipe Out — a foldout poster that breaks down the issue.

Students debuted their final project virtually through a public webinar, where they presented their booklet and shared their creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

See more photos of students in action here!

Watch a video of the students creative process below!

Swept Up

Clair Beltran — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 11:32:54 -0500

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/SweptUp

In April 2016, the NYPD raided two Eastchester housing complexes in the Bronx and arrested 120 people. Despite descriptions as the “largest gang takedown in New York City history,” over half the arrestees were never even charged as gang members. How did this all happen? Criminal Conspiracy Laws—originally used to bring down organized crime like the mafia—are being used by NYPD to police youth and charge them with “gang involvement”, simply because of who they know. For many low-income teens of color, basic activities like having friends in one’s neighborhood, are used to justify arrest at alarming rates.

What are criminal conspiracy laws? What’s the NYPD gang database? How do these laws and police practices impact local communities?

In the summer of 2019, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Ro Garrido and students from the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn to dig deep into criminal conspiracy laws and their impact on local community members, interview stakeholders working on the issue, and create art to show what they learned.

The group teamed up with designer Marcela Szwarc and created the booklet, Swept Up, to educate others and help them get involved in the issue.

Get your copy of the booklet here!

Check out more photos of the students in action here!

The Big Squeeze

Fielding Hong — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 16:18:18 -0500

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/TheBigSqueeze

Micro-apartments are touted as both a way to live with less, and a pilot project to create housing for a squeezed city. These tiny studio apartments—smaller than what is currently allowed by NYC law—are meant to house a population explosion of single New Yorkers. However, many worry that these snug accommodations serve only a narrow group. Who’s left out of the conversation? And how much space do you really need to live?

CUP and teaching artist Chat Travieso worked with a group of public high school students from Bushwick’s Academy of Urban Planning to investigate the fascination with these tiny modular living spaces. The students asked urban planners about regulatory hurdles, architects about prefabricated units, and developers about funding structures. They also talked to community advocates about what groups are privileged in the race for newer smaller housing stock. The crew took what they learned, and with the help of graphic designer Mary Voorhees Meehan, they created The Big Squeeze: a poster that uses collage to teach others about the past, present, and future of apartments in New York City.

On April 4th, 2013 the group presented their project at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, where they discussed their investigative process and led a panel on other approaches to addressing New York’s housing needs. They were joined in discussion by Seema Agnani, Executive Director of Chhaya CDC, an organization that works with homeowners and tenants to streamline the ‘legalization’ process for illegally converted dwellings; and Andrew Reicher, Executive Director of the the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, a 35-year old nonprofit that helps create and support cooperative and affordable housing.

Get your own copy of the poster here!

Urban Investigations

Clair Beltran — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 16:24:28 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations

Our Voice Our Choice

Fielding Hong — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 14:05:36 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/OurVoiceOurChoice

Every year New Yorkers vote in local elections. But who and what are you voting for? Why vote?

In our latest Urban Investigation, CUP and the New York City Campaign Finance Board collaborated with Teaching Artist Emily Young and students from Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx to dig a little deeper into local elections. Students got out of the classroom and into the middle of local issues, from surveying community members to interviewing local government officials. Students created “Our Voice, Our Choice” as a guide to teach New Yorkers how to get their voices heard in local elections and what choices they have as residents of New York City.

Students debuted their project at the Bronx Music Heritage Center, where they presented their booklet, demonstrated their interview skills, and shared the creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

Stand Clear Of The Rising Fares

Fielding Hong — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 14:00:34 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/StandClearOfTheRisingFares

Serving over 5 million New Yorkers daily, the NYC public transit system is the largest in North America and an essential part of city life. Riders across the city are feeling the effects of a fare hike from earlier this year and worrying that more are on the way. Why are fares going up?

In our latest Urban Investigation, CUP worked with Teaching Artist Christina Houle and students from five Bronx high schools to investigate why transit costs what it does and who decides. Students interviewed a number of stakeholders like the chiefspokesman of the MTA, the executive director of a transit advocacy group, a New York State Assembly Member, and a community advocate. They created a short documentary video to share what they learned.

Students debuted their project at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, where they presented the video and shared their creative process with the public.

Check out the video below!

Is There A Pattern

siyona ravi — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 12:51:59 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/IsThereAPattern

New York City must, by court order, provide temporary shelter to every person who asks. Currently, NYC spends about $1.8 billion a year on shelters, apartments, hotel rooms, and programs.

But is the City meeting their court-ordered mandate? How does the shelter system actually work?

In the spring of 2019, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Gabriella Coll and public high school students at Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy (KAPPA) International High School in the Bronx to dig deep into the issue of homelessness. To investigate, students wove textiles to depict the cycle of homelessness, surveyed community members, visited a shelter, and interviewed key stakeholders working on the issue. This booklet is a guide to what students learned about homelessness in NYC and their ideas for shaping a different future.

Get your own booklet here!

Check out more photos of the students in action here!

Breakdown

Codi Haigney — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 15:18:28 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/Breakdown

Money. We use it every day. But how much does it really cost? And does everyone pay the same price? $ Breakdown was produced by students in the College Now program at Brooklyn College in collaboration with CUP.

In 2010, the crew set out to investigate the cost of money. From interviewing folks at banks, check cashing places, pawn shops, and credit unions, they learned what’s scary and what’s confusing about money; who’s borrowing it; who’s paying the most for it; and why.

Together the crew created a website with a series of short animations and videos that serve as introductions to some of the differences between mainstream banks and “fringe” banking institutions. The videos debuted in 2011 in a former bank vault on Wall Street. Watch them here.

The videos help make these complex concepts more accessible and make a great financial literacy tutorial. If you’re interested in using the videos in your classroom or organization email us at info (at) welcometocup.org

Lets Hang Out

James Boyd — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 13:12:36 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/LetsHangOut

In 2010, the New York State Supreme Court found that the NYPD continued to enforce loitering laws that were ruled unconstitutional back in the 1980s. Have things changed in the past 10 years? What’s loitering? Who has the right to hang out in public space? How do loitering laws impact New Yorkers?

In the winter of 2018 CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Stephen Kwok and public high school students from Life Sciences Secondary School to investigate these questions. Students created public art interventions, surveyed community members near their school, and interviewed stakeholders working on the issue. The team gathered what they learned and created, Let’s Hang Out, a guide to NYC’s loitering laws, how they impact communities, and how these policies and their enforcement could be transformed.

Students debuted their final project at the 96th Street Library, where they presented the booklet and shared their creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

Check out more photos of the students in action here!

Blunt Conversations

Fielding Hong — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 12:22:13 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/BluntConversations

In the summer of 2018, the New York State Health Department issued a report recommending the legalization of marijuana. This report came after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would ticket people caught smoking marijuana rather than arrest them. How do NYC’s changing marijuana laws impact New Yorkers? Who profits? Who loses out?

During the 2018-2019 school year, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Hugo Rojas, Designer Hrudaya Yanamandala and public high school students from the Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice (LGJ) to unpack New York City’s marijuana policies and the impact on local communities. To investigate, students surveyed members of their community, interviewed stakeholders working on the issue, and used moss to create artwork that explores different sides of the debate.

Students created a booklet to teach others what they learned about how the city’s marijuana policies impact New Yorkers, now and in the future.

Click here to get your copy of the booklet.

Check out more photos of the students in action here!

The Good Bad Unknown

aska mukuti — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:26:58 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/TheGoodBadUnknown

In September 2017, the New York City Department of Education (DOE) published a new edition of the citywide school discipline code for students K-12. The DOE sent letters to families encouraging them to read the whole 80-page document of rules, regulations, and new policies. What are the standards of student behavior? What are the consequences? Who decides?

In the spring of 2018, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Nupur Mathur and public high school students from the KAPPA International High School in the Bronx to dig a little deeper into school discipline. To investigate, students got out of the classroom to survey their school community on student rights and responsibilities, and interview key DOE staff on school safety. Students created The Good, Bad, & Unknown to break down the 80 pages of the Discipline Code and imagine the future of their school.

Students debuted their project at the 2018 KAPPA Awards Ceremony, where they presented their newspaper and shared the creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

The Public School Avengers

aska mukuti — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:25:18 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/ThePublicSchoolAvengers

According to a 2014 report by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project, New York City’s schools continue to be among the most segregated in the nation. How does a diverse city still have such segregated schools?

In the summer of 2017, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Nupur Mathur and a group of students from the Red Hook Community Justice Center to peel back the layers on school segregation. To investigate, students got out of the classroom and into the politics of education to speak with people invested in the future of NYC’s public high schools, from students and parents to educators and policy makers. Students created The Public School Avengers to teach others about school choice, the impact decisions make on a student’s future, and how you can get involved.

Students debuted their project at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, where they presented their booklet, demonstrated their interview skills, and shared their creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

Displaced From This Place

aska mukuti — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:23:28 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/DisplacedFromThisPlace

Bushwick, like many New York City neighborhoods, is changing. Between 1990 and 2014, rents in Bushwick rose 44% – twice as much as the citywide average! From bodega to bus stop, people are talking about displacement. What is displacement and how does it happen? Why Bushwick and what can we do about it?

CUP collaborated with public high school students from EBC High School for Public Service to delve into displacement. Students hit the streets to survey Bushwick residents, speak with community organizers, interview elected officials and policy experts, and dive deep into the issue. The crew gathered what they learned and teamed up with designer Kyle Richardson to create Displaced From This Place?, a booklet that details what they discovered about displacement.

Students debuted their project at the DeKalb Avenue branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, where they presented their booklet, discussed their investigation, and shared their creative process.

Get your own booklet here!

Theres No Business Like Small Business

aska mukuti — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:19:54 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/TheresNoBusinessLikeSmallBusiness

Small businesses contribute to the unique character of neighborhoods in New York City, but they are quickly disappearing! What’s at stake? What challenges are these small businesses facing and what is the city doing to protect them?

In our latest Urban Investigation, CUP and Teaching Artist Sam Holleran tackled this question with a group of high school students from the School for Legal Studies in Williamsburg. To find out more, students interviewed key players like the President of the Real Estate Board of New York, the Chair of the City Council Committee on Small Business, and a small business lawyer. The students created a poster called There’s No Business Like Small Business to share what they found.

Students debuted their project at UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art, where they presented their poster and shared their creative process.

Door Wars

aska mukuti — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:16:51 -0400

Projects/UrbanInvestigations/DoorWars

Last year, two developments in NYC received an avalanche of media attention for their use of separate entrances for market-rate tenants and affordable housing tenants—what some called the “poor door.” Where did the “poor door” come from? And who benefits from it?

CUP worked with a group of public high school students from Bronx Compass High School in Castle Hill and teaching artist Douglas Paulson to tackle these questions. To get a glimpse behind the “poor door,” students interviewed heavy hitters like the President of the Real Estate Board of New York, a New York City Council Member, and an affordable housing advocate. The team broke down their findings in their video, Door Wars.

Door Wars debuted at University Settlement, where students presented the video and discussed their creative process with a lively audience of CUP fans.

Check out the video below!