FIRST OF ALL, I want to thank the First International Congress “Children and Adolescents Growing into the Future” for giving me the opportunity to present my ideas and for the fact that they were heard and appreciated.
It is good that children, teenagers and young people have a place to talk about what they want and feel. I would like these events to become more frequent and massive, so that not just a few guys and girls talk about their problems.
Today, on behalf of all the boys and girls of the country, I have come to share some advice on issues that hinder the development of Cuban youth, based on my personal experience.
Young people should be recognized for our achievements and for our differences, because we are not the same and should not be treated the same. Each person is a separate and unique world. We must learn to live in the same universe.
The best thing is that everyone can understand what they are good at and can develop their talents and abilities.
When I was in elementary school, I had a drawing teacher who made performances with the children of our school according to the content of the classes. It was a didactic and fun way of learning about the subjects we taught, very different from the traditional activities that encourage cramming and leave us bored and disinterested. I try to apply this technique in my integrative seminars and workshops in high school.
I think schools should make better use of their time to study music, film, literature, theater and world history for practical and creative purposes. Every school should hold workshops on the understanding of art, general culture, health and sexuality, not only by teachers, but also by specialists or people more trained in these subjects. So we can have elements that allow us to distinguish between good and bad, what has quality and what doesn’t.
School and family should be a space of love. Neither teachers, nor classmates, nor relatives can stop us from dreaming or not believing in what we are capable of. And we need guidance so that when this happens, we know how to act or ask for help. In these places
we need to feel loved, trusted and appreciated.
The José Marti Pioneer Organization should pay more attention to us, take care of our worries, and support us so that we can be happier.
I know girls my age who have already become mothers. I know children who are of a different sexual orientation and suffer intimidation. I live in a city (outside the capital) where there is no opportunity to spend free time, where there are people who have not been to the theater and do not know about any other music except reggaeton.
I have friends who are not sure what they want to be when they grow up. I would like to have rest places to hang out with friends.
The only thing we should miss is company and love. We all need to have our own identity, accept ourselves for who we are, and love ourselves. Society should support us in this process so that tomorrow more of my friends will not go far.
I believe that if these recommendations are heeded, together we can achieve a more complete Revolution, a more complete Cuba.
Words spoken by Lucia, a 13-year-old teenager, at the closing of the Congress on behalf of her contemporaries.
Source: Juventud Rebelde