Being young at 60 years old would be impossible, if we were not talking here about a political organization that has not let the years take its toll on it, no matter how much it has climbed slopes, steered curves and reinvented itself along the way.
There is a gap between today and the moment when the Association of Young Rebels changed its name to the Union of Young Communists (UJC), the first National Committee was elected and the operating guidelines were defined and, precisely, that path traveled is the one that has guaranteed coming of age and multiplied experience.
"Being young" is not only a distinctive mark in its name, but an expeditious commitment to renewing the ways of doing and communicating. Those who militate in its ranks know this and witness other scenarios and challenges, which demand more inventiveness and sensitivity, because the moment the UJC's spectrum of action is reduced to debates and sterile meetings, we would be mortgaging its future.
Then, he endorses the reason for those who demand more active participation, grassroots work, political commitment, capable cadres open to dialogue, and the use of new information and communication technologies to tell our truths. Leadership is necessary, to banish formalisms, to be less conservative and more dissatisfied; In short, at 60 years of age, advice and transformations are still accepted, an essential dialectic to continue ahead, at the forefront.
Luckily, the criticism that looks for the spots is always followed by examples of light. In fact, no one would dare to deny it, especially after facing the ordeal here imposed by COVID-19. The images of the boys who left the comfort and safety of their homes to help vulnerable people in the neighborhoods, as well as to clean and distribute food in the care centers for COVID-19 patients, are fresh in the memory.
However, the list is longer: young people in key positions for the economy in Ciego de Ávila, with master's degrees and doctorates, in management positions, assuming impact tasks, participating in productive jobs and raising their voices to continue adding.
Probably not all of them are communist militants with their red and blue cards, although, without a doubt, they are guided by the same vocation and conviction. In the end, it is a matter of there not being any space foreign to young people and, vice versa.
Creating, dreaming and building by and for Cuba cannot be an empty slogan. A better and more prosperous country necessarily has to have young sap to drive it forward, and it is clear that continuing to conjure up that essence is joy and a tremendous challenge on this island.
For this reason, on the eve of April 4th, neither the party nor the appropriate debate will be lacking to look with a long light and think about the organization that we need and want. The future is not possible without the present.