Since the revolution at the end of the fifties, and especially, since Cuba fell into the framework of the so-called “real socialism”, young people of Cuba have been major protagonists for profound change.  Many of them see themselves as beneficiaries, especially with respect to universal access to heath services and education, two areas to which the country is repeatedly outstanding, even within the framework of the Comparative Evaluative Tests at the international level, promoted by diverse international organizations.

However with the fall of real socialism in the late eighties, the social and economic system built up until then was put under hard tests, with the drastic fall of support (subsidies, preferential trade, etc).  The “special period” (within the framework of the U.S. embargo) was a hard hit for the population as a whole, especially to the younger generations. As a direct result of this process, many Cuban youths saw themselves surrounded in acute and complex social vulnerabilities, for example, driving them into attempts of emigration (the “balseros”) or causing a growth in prostitution (the “gineteras”).

As an answer to the complex situation in Cuba, diverse structural reforms were put into practice during the nineties, allowing Cuba to reconvert its economy and reinsert itself into the world. A systematic study realized in 2004 by CEPAL, UNDP and INIE Cuba, indicated that “the implemented measures had positive effects that manifested in the easing of external pressures, productive evolution, and the gradual recovery of macroeconomic equilibriums.  At the social level, these measures avoided substantial impact on basic indicators and allowed recovery of the most sensitive indicators. Thus, since 1994, the nutritional state of the population improved, maternal and child mortality rates decreased, and secondary and higher education rates rose.¨

Currently, social and economic dynamics have been evolving positively. Cuba has their work to achieve the Millennium Goals and in the spirit of the worldwide meeting of the United Nations, encouraging a participative process to continue improving social indicators. Cuba’s first report on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals shows that Cuba has already fully achieved several targets and outstanding progress has been made in others (something exceptional in Latin-America and the Caribbean).  Even those that are still in progress, work has been done to fulfil these targets within the set timeframe, which among the objectives of this report, include the mobilization of efforts for such goal, under the motto, “A better life for everyone with the participation of everyone.”

One profound experience working with and for youths in diverse spheres is that it places optimism towards the future in these topics.  Although contact with Cuba is not as open and easy, in collaboration with the Communist Youth Union, the organization responsible for public youth policies in Cuba, we will try to inform and rigorously analyze their experiences through this Portal.

Read more information about this country in Spanish