Why Solidarity with Cuba?
As part of this year's theme of Radical Re-membering and our WSCF core value of global engagement, the WSCF-US is participating in an international solidarity project with our partner movements in Cuba and Canada as we work to grow relationships rooted in justice, liberation, and solidarity with Christians around the world.
As many of us know, the people of Cuba continue to be severely impacted by the U.S. blockade which restricts access to everyday needs such as food, health, medical supplies, and basic sanitary items. The Student Christian Movement of Cuba has invited a delegation of students and young people from the U.S. and Canada to come and learn first-hand about the impacts of the blockade and their work to support the needs of their communities, caring for the elderly and distributing food and medical supplies in the wake of hurricanes — a problem that has only been intensifying each year because of climate change. As Christians in the U.S., we recognize the role our government has had in sustaining these unconscionable living conditions, and we know that we must use our voice to advocate for change.
From November 18-26, 2023 an international delegation including 5 students from the WSCF-US will be making a solidarity trip to Cuba to meet with local organizers and activists, learn about the lived impacts of U.S. policy on the Cuban people, and bring these lessons back home to the U.S. to inform our advocacy moving forward. Our hope is that this trip is the first step in building long-term connections of friendship and solidarity between the WSCF-US and the Student Christian Movement of Cuba.
As many of us know, the people of Cuba continue to be severely impacted by the U.S. blockade which restricts access to everyday needs such as food, health, medical supplies, and basic sanitary items. The Student Christian Movement of Cuba has invited a delegation of students and young people from the U.S. and Canada to come and learn first-hand about the impacts of the blockade and their work to support the needs of their communities, caring for the elderly and distributing food and medical supplies in the wake of hurricanes — a problem that has only been intensifying each year because of climate change. As Christians in the U.S., we recognize the role our government has had in sustaining these unconscionable living conditions, and we know that we must use our voice to advocate for change.
From November 18-26, 2023 an international delegation including 5 students from the WSCF-US will be making a solidarity trip to Cuba to meet with local organizers and activists, learn about the lived impacts of U.S. policy on the Cuban people, and bring these lessons back home to the U.S. to inform our advocacy moving forward. Our hope is that this trip is the first step in building long-term connections of friendship and solidarity between the WSCF-US and the Student Christian Movement of Cuba.
Global Engagement: A Core WSCF-US Value
The World Student Christian Federation-US, part of a global network of over 100 student movements around the world, is organizing a movement of Christian students in the US who will live out their faith in this pivotal moment, this Kairos time, through a community that is radically inclusive, globally engaged, and grounded in the prophetic Biblical and theological traditions. In particular, our participation and leadership in this solidarity project is part of our larger commitment to global engagement. We recognize the importance of building friendship and solidarity across national borders, and we know these relationships will shape our own work toward justice and liberation here in the U.S.
Timeline
Oct/Nov 2023 | Pre-Trip Training & Educational Sessions on the History of Cuba & the U.S.
Oct 22, 2023 | Commissioning of WSCF-US Delegation at National Student Conference
Nov 18-26, 2023 | International Solidarity Trip to Cuba
Jan 2024 | Online event to share about the trip with WSCF-US community and begin organizing Cuba solidarity work here in the U.S.
Oct 22, 2023 | Commissioning of WSCF-US Delegation at National Student Conference
Nov 18-26, 2023 | International Solidarity Trip to Cuba
Jan 2024 | Online event to share about the trip with WSCF-US community and begin organizing Cuba solidarity work here in the U.S.
Solidarity Partners
Movimiento Estudiantil Cristiano de Cuba (Student Christian Movement of Cuba)
Student Christian Movement of Canada, scmcanada.org
Development & Peace - Caritas Canada, www.devp.org
Student Christian Movement of Canada, scmcanada.org
Development & Peace - Caritas Canada, www.devp.org
Anticipated Outcomes
- Build connections of friendship and solidarity between students and young people in the U.S., Canada, and Cuba
- Learn firsthand about the realities experienced by Cubans as a result of U.S. policy, the work of MEC Cuba to address these realities, and how people of faith in the U.S. can join these efforts in solidarity
- Empower students and young people in the U.S. to use their voices as people of faith speak out against the United States’ unjust treatment of Cuba
- Lay the groundwork for developing a long-term relationship between the WSCF-US and MEC Cuba which will shape our work moving forward
- Develop globally engaged young leadership for churches, denominations, and faith-based organizations
- Prepare young Christian leadership for service to the world through government, the academy, the legal professions, social justice organizations, and more
- Empower students to bring new energy, relevance, passion, and commitment to global solidarity to their churches, denominations, and faith-based organizations
- Strengthen the voice and capacity of prophetic young Christians to provide an alternative to the conservative Christian voices currently dominating public discourse
- Embody the value of living the Christian faith in global context with Christians in other parts of the world