The meeting, called by the Federation of University Students, Federation of High School Students, Union of Young Communists, and other Cuban youth organizations, will provide a forum for students and young workers from the United States and Cuba to discuss a range of important questions in U.S., Cuban, and world politics.

In Minneapolis-St. Paul, some two dozen youth will be traveling to Havana, including students from the University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State University, high school students, and youth from Omaha, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa.

The group has already organized two discussion classes on speeches by Cuban president Fidel Castro--a 1960 speech at the United Nations and one given this year on the 40th anniversary of the declaration of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution.

The Minnesota youth have also organized fund-raising events to help cover travel and other costs--including a social, a raffle, and a benefit with local bands at the Intermedia Arts Center, raising a total of $1,000 so far. Now they are selling T-shirts designed by a member of the group.

The youth have established the Youth Exchange Information Center, located at the American Indian Learning Resource Center on the University of Minnesota campus. It serves as a national center for disseminating information about the Havana meeting.

In Miami, nine young people are expected to participate in the Youth Exchange. The Miami Coalition Against the Embargo of Cuba has featured the Havana gathering at its meetings and events, and is helping to raise funds. Participants include students from Florida International University (FIU) North as well as youth from Tampa.

The FIU students have campaigned with the coalition to publicize the Youth Exchange by setting up street tables and arranging invitations by professors to speak at their classes.

The Miami youth have organized a class on "History Will Absolve Me," Fidel Castro's explanation of the political and social goals of the Cuban Revolution based on his 1953 defense speech at his trial for leading a revolutionary assault on the U.S.-backed dictatorship's Moncada army barracks.

The Miami Coalition is also organizing a send-off fund-raising party the night before the participants leave for Cuba. When they return, some of them will speak at a meeting being organized by supporters on the FIU South campus.

In New York City, eight youth, including a high school student, students from colleges in the area, and youth active with the church of San Romero de las Américas, which is based in the largely Dominican community of Washington Heights, have signed up to attend the Youth Exchange.

These youth are getting help from Cuba solidarity activists to send out a 500-piece fund appeal, and is organizing calls to groups and churches in Harlem and elsewhere to educate about the Exchange and raise travel funds. Several groups have agreed to e-mail their memberships to let them know about the Youth Exchange and the fund-raising for it.

In Chicago, young people have organized the Cuba Youth Exchange Committee and have been meeting at the University of Illinois-Chicago campus once a week to plan their participation in the event. The committee is comprised of members of Casa Guatemala and the Young Socialists, students at the University of Illinois (UIC) and Northeastern, and young workers from throughout Chicago. The committee's meetings have featured an educational workshop on the Cuban Revolution and an informational session on the Exchange. At least seven people are on board to go from Chicago, including a graduate student at UIC and an artist who was a part of the fight for a high school in the largely Mexican neighborhood of Little Village.

On July 1 the committee organized a fund-raiser at the Hot House, where almost $700 was raised. Restaurants donated some food to the event, and the rest was brought by those attending. Several musicians performed. There was a raffle, which included a piece of artwork donated by an artist in Little Village who plans to attend the Exchange.

Bernard Isley reports from Pittsburgh that so far five youth are preparing to attend the Youth Exchange, including students at the University of Edinboro and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as three young workers. They are planning public events when they return to discuss what they learned. To raise money, they organized a car wash that netted $130, and are preparing a potluck dinner at the Edinboro campus and a benefit at a local tavern where rappers and poets will perform.

One of the Pittsburgh youth contacted the Chicago Defender, a Black community newspaper, and was assigned to report on the Youth Exchange.

For more information on participation in the Cuba-U.S. Youth Exchange, see the ad on the front page of this issue.
 
 
Related articles:
Cuba offers doctors, drugs for AIDS crisis
Cuba aims for energy self-sufficiency
'The philosophy here is that doctors should work for the people'
 
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home