Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)

With a new year ahead and a growing community, we wanted to take a moment to reaffirm the people and programs at the heart of CUP’s work. Whether you're a longtime fan, or just started following our work, thank you for being here! 💛 To learn more about how to collaborate with and support CUP click the link in our bio.

With the rapid and overwhelming decisions we continue to see from the federal administration every day, we know that many organizations are working overtime to ensure communities have access to critical information as they navigate life-altering policies. To support the work of getting information into the hands of people and communities directly impacted, CUP is opening a call to adapt, translate, or update our resources to expand the reach of our resources and the organizations leading advocacy and organizing. The open call is available to organizations that have collaborated with CUP or used CUP resources in their advocacy and organizing; and want to adapt, translate, or update a resource that is relevant to the changes in federal policies and the people and communities directly impacted by them. 👉 Click the link in our bio to learn more and submit a request. Requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis through December 31, 2025.

On April 22 we hosted our fourth How We Made This about one of our latest Making Policy Public resources, Bringing Land and Housing into Community Hands, created in partnership with NYC Community Land Initiative (NYCCLI) (@_nyccli ) and artist, Ishita Jain (@ishitajain24 ).  We reflected yesterday on how exciting the energy in the room was — with over 100 people eager to connect with each other, meet the community advocates and artists we’re working with this year, and reflect on art and design’s role in uplifting the rights and visions of New York City’s communities.  We have a lot of people to thank for being part of this year’s How We Made This: NYC Community Land Initiative, South Bronx Unite (@southbronxunite ), New Economy Project (@neweconomyproject ), the team at CUP, our volunteers; and our community of support who showed up to deepen their connection to land and housing justice, and the role of artists and designers in supporting community-driven education. Thank you for being with us this year. We can’t wait to invite you all back in 2027. To learn more about how to get involved, click the link in our bio for a recap with links to a range of next steps you can take to support community land trusts and the CUP’s work to use art and design to uplift the rights and visions of New York City’s communities.

🎤 Introducing...School is For You!, a new community resource made in collaboration with The Door (@door_nyc ), and design team Shireen Mathews (@cauliflowerfields ) and Tara Tabassi (@taratabassi ). 📚School is For You is a trilingual booklet for young immigrants that explains their school options in NYC—High School, High School Equivalency (HSE), and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The resource encourages young immigrants to assert their rights when Family Welcome Center or school staff tries to discourage them from enrolling in High School. It includes six perforated cards that they can tear out and bring with them to help them assert their rights.. 👉 Swipe to learn more about the project, and check out the link in our bio to download or buy a copy!

🎉 We're excited to present: School is For You! — a trilingual booklet for young immigrants that explains their school options in NYC: High School; High School Equivalency (HSE); and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Celebrate this new resource with us on May 6th at 4:30pm, at 555 Broome Street! 👉 Created in collaboration with CUP (@welcometocup ) and design duo Shireen Mathews (@cauliflowerfields ) and Tara Tabassi (@taratabassi ). 📚 The booklet encourages young immigrants to assert their rights when Family Welcome Center or school staff tries to discourage them from enrolling in High School. It includes six perforated cards that they can tear out and bring with them to help them assert their rights. 🔗 Get your copy from The Door, and check out the digital version via the link in bio. #DoorNYC #LegalServices #CUP #Resources #NYCyouth

🎤 Introducing...Vend and Defend, a project made with students from Academy of Urban Planning and Engineering (@aupebrooklynqueens ) and CUP Teaching Artist Fellow Syd Abady (@syd_abady ) this past fall. Together they engaged in art activities, community surveys, and stakeholder interviews to look at how New York City’s street vendors are impacted by current immigration policies, how they’re fighting back, and how New Yorkers can support them. 👉 Learn more about the project and download a copy of the pamphlet at the link in our bio.

🎤 Introducing...Many Roots, One City!, a project made with students from International Community High School (@ichs_insta ) and CUP Teaching Artist Fellow Syd Abady (@syd_abady ) this past fall. Together they engaged in art activities, community surveys, and stakeholder interviews to investigate policies protecting immigrants in New York City. Since the start of 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 3,212 people in New York City. More than half of them — 57% — have been deported. As immigration enforcement increases across the city, it is more important than ever for immigrants to have strong local legal protections and support. The class learned about why people migrate, what to do in an ICE encounter, and what rights immigrant communities have in NYC. 👉 Learn more about the project and download a copy of the pamphlet at the link in our bio.

In partnership with the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) @welcometocup and @Afrilingual , we recently launched a new resource in order to meet the evolving needs of young immigrants. Here to Stay, our pamphlet explaining Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) eligibility and the process of obtaining SIJS, is now available as an audio recording in Guinean Pulaar. To date, Here to Stay is available in print, in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, and Hindi. As a predominantly oral language, Guinean Pulaar is inaccessible in print. Our new audio recording will support more youth to learn key information about SIJS in a format that is comfortable for them, empowering Pulaar-speaking youth to consider SIJS as an option for themselves and seek out the legal help they need to obtain it. Click the link in our bio to listen to the audio recording. Written versions of the pamphlet are also available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, and Hindi. #TheDoorNYC

🎤 Introducing...Bringing Land and Housing into Community Hands, a new community resource made (@_nyccli ) in collaboration with NYCCLI, New Economy Project (@neweconomyproject ), South Bronx Unite (@southbronxunite ), and designer and illustrator Ishita Jain (@ishitajain24 ). Bringing Land and Housing into Community Hands is a guide for anyone who’s curious about Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and lives in neighborhoods where CLTs are. The resource explains what a CLT is, their history, and examples of different kinds of CLTs across the country. It also covers how a CLT works, the different ways readers can participate in a CLT, and six case studies of successful CLTs in New York City. 👉 Swipe to learn more about the project, and check out the link in our bio to download or buy a copy!

📣We are thrilled to announce the release of “Bringing Land and Housing into Community Hands,” a beautiful fold-out poster showcasing New York City’s growing community land trust (CLT) movement! 🌸Brimming with hand-drawn illustrations of actual CLT organizers and projects from across the five boroughs, the poster explains how CLTs work and how community members can get involved—bringing the model to life and serving as a springboard for organizing. NYCCLI, New Economy Project ( @neweconomyproject ), and South Bronx Unite ( @southbronxunite ) made the poster in collaboration with the Center for Urban Pedagogy ( @welcometocup ) and illustrator and designer Ishita Jain ( @ishitajain24 ). Download a digital copy and read more at our bio’s linktree. Designed for community groups to use in their outreach and organizing, the poster features: ✳️ case studies of six New York City CLTs, with QR codes to learn more and take action ✳️ space for writing and drawing—inviting New Yorkers to envision just futures for their own neighborhoods ✳️ background on CLTs’ historical roots in civil rights activism and Indigenous practices ✳️ accessible information on how CLTs can support a variety of community needs—from permanently-affordable housing to commercial, community, and green spaces Huge thanks to CUP, Ishita, and all the NYCCLI members who came together to develop this exciting new organizing tool! Please download and share, and reach out for more information!

Does your organization support tenants living in market-rate apartments? 🌟 PRE-ORDER printed copies of Good Cause NYC by APRIL 3 (link in bio) 🎤 Introducing...Good Cause NYC, a new community resource made in collaboration with Housing Court Answers (@housingcourtanswers ), TakeRoot Justice (@takerootjustice ), the Center for Justice Innovation (@innovatingjustice ), and art collective SWRD, made up of graphic designer Sarah Wang (@srahw4ng ), and illustrator Ryan Davis (@ryandavismakesart ). Good Cause NYC is a guide for tenants living in market-rate housing that explains a New York State law called Good Cause Eviction. Good Cause Eviction protects some market-rate tenants from excessive rent increases and eviction without “good cause.” The guide explains who’s covered by Good Cause Eviction, how this law protects some tenants from excessive rent increases and eviction at the end of a lease, and how protected tenants who can’t access a lawyer can defend themselves in Housing Court when landlords violate their Good Cause rights. 👉 Swipe to learn more about the project, and pre-order by April 3 at the link in our bio!

🏠 𝑫𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕-𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔? ✨𝙋𝙍𝙀-𝙊𝙍𝘿𝙀𝙍 𝘽𝙔 𝘼𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙇 3 (𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙞𝙤 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚)✨ 🎉 We’re excited to present: Good Cause NYC, a guide for tenants living in market-rate housing that explains a New York State law called Good Cause Eviction. Created in collaboration with TakeRoot Justice (@takerootjustice ), the Center for Justice Innovation (@innovatingjustice ), CUP (@welcometocup ) and art collective SWRD, made up of graphic designer Sarah Wang (@srahw4ng ), and illustrator Ryan Davis (@ryandavismakesart ). — Good Cause Eviction protects some market-rate tenants from excessive rent increases and eviction without “good cause.” The guide explains: ➡️ Who is covered by Good Cause Eviction. ➡️ How this law protects some tenants from excessive rent increases and eviction at the end of a lease. ➡️ How protected tenants who can’t access a lawyer can defend themselves in Housing Court when landlords violate their Good Cause rights. It follows two fictional characters — a tenant whose landlord tried to raise the rent too much, and a tenant whose landlord tried to not renew their lease — to show how each tenant is protected, and how they can prepare to tell their story and defend their rights in Housing Court. — 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒖𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕-𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈! Check out the digital version — and pre-order printed copies for your organizing by April 3 — via our linktree in our bio 🔗