Empowering Migrants in NYC Through Informative Infographics

Overview

This Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) project in the course La Frontera: Art as Resistance provided students with a unique opportunity to engage with the migrant community in New York City. Students collaborated in small groups to research and design informational infographics on topics relevant to migrant life. These infographics were created with the specific goal of effectively communicating crucial information in a visual and accessible format for the migrant community. Ideally, these infographics would be presented to the migrant community in NYC.

Methodology

This project employed a collaborative and community-engaged approach to learning. The methodology involved the following key stages: 

• Topic Selection and Group Formation: Students collaboratively identified a specific topic relevant to migration or migrant life in New York City, such as Housing, Tenants Rights, Education, Benefits and the Public Charge Rule, Labor and Leisure.
• Guided Research: Through a scaffolded research process, student groups worked to identify key questions related to their specific topic of interest to the migrant community in NYC. Students then worked with outside sources (online and print sources, community members, academics and experts in the field) to compile information to answer and refine their research questions, as well as to articulate the identified need for their specific infographic. This work was supported by in-class analyses of existing “know your rights” infographics. Through these analyses, students critically examined the various media employed, considering the alignment (or potential misalignment) between the chosen medium and the intended public. Special attention was paid to the accessibility and understandability of the information, considering visual, linguistic and cultural factors. Furthermore, we explored the importance of graphic elements, such as font, design, color and size. This analytical foundation informed students’ own infographic design process. In the final research phase, students focused on a specific question which may have represented a small portion of the research that they conducted to focus on the goal of visual communication. Groups conceptualized the design of their infographics, considering digital or hand-made formats, choice of language, etc. In the final stage, students designed and created their infographics to synthesize complex information into clear, concise and engaging visuals.
• Reflective Essay: Alongside the infographic, each group submitted a reflective essay that articulated the rationale behind the infographic’s design, discussed any pertinent information that could not be included, reflected on their research process (sources, individuals consulted, information gaps), and critically assessed their learning experience.

Testimonial

Working on the infographic project was a meaningful opportunity to engage in community-based research and advocacy. This course helped us explore the U.S.–Mexico border not only as a geographic line, but as a space of cultural identity, resistance, and migration. We also came to understand that borders transcend physical space. They are social institutions, shaped by language, access, policy, and power, including right here in New York. Early in the semester, we collaborated with La Morada, a mutual aid kitchen in Mott Haven, Bronx, that serves as a sanctuary and support space for immigrant communities. Their insights helped us identify the topics most relevant to immigrant families in the city. As a class, we researched issues such as education access, tenant rights, housing, public benefits, immigration law, and free events for engagement. We then transformed that research into accessible, bilingual infographics designed to support and inform the community directly. This project helped us better understand the policies that affect immigrant communities and challenged us to communicate complex information in a clear, practical, and culturally relevant way. We hope the infographics we created can be a useful tool for the community and contribute to broader efforts of accessibility, empowerment, and solidarity. 

Faculty

Professor Carey Kasten

Project Deliverable