Cyphers for Justice is a youth and educator development program housed within the Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Urban and Minority Education (GIUME) at Columbia University, Teachers College, and the CUNY College Now Program at Queens College. CFJ apprentices NYC high school youth and educators as critical researchers through the use of hip hop, spoken word, digital literacy, and critical social research methods. Founded within the traditions of Youth Participatory Action Research and hip hop culture, CFJ youth work alongside Columbia University students, professors, and community-based teaching artists to conduct research and present their findings on relevant social issues.