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Youth on Bloor
Youth on Bloor has sponsored an exposure trip for youth roughly every two years, since the summer of 2002. Below is an account of the most recent trip.
Cuba!
At the end of August 2008, a group of thirteen youth from four different congregations and four adult volunteers (one from each of the congregations) went on a 10 day journey to Cuba. The goal was a cultural exposure trip to broaden our experience and understanding of what it means to live out our faith in a different socio-economic and cultural climate.
The first station along our journey was the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas. Situated in a beautiful campus, abundantly filled with flowering vegetation and trees, it is quite an eden atop a hill at the edge of the city, with a marvelous view of the bay. The seminary students were not around because it was summer break, but we visited a nearby community centre (which is supported in part by the seminary) where children and youth enthusiastically performed a show of dance and drama—in spite of the crushing heat! We were further entertained at the Baptist church in Matanzas where a musical group called Agua Viva (Water of Life) performed for us while the youth from the church led us in some typical Cuban dancing. We did a great deal of dancing on this trip. A particular treat was with a venerable seminary professor (92 years old) who was an expert instructor in folk dances from all around the world. He believed in dance as an effective tool for communication and understanding across cultures and he had us reeling and sashaying before we knew it!
The first station along our journey was the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas. Situated in a beautiful campus, abundantly filled with flowering vegetation and trees, it is quite an eden atop a hill at the edge of the city, with a marvelous view of the bay. The seminary students were not around because it was summer break, but we visited a nearby community centre (which is supported in part by the seminary) where children and youth enthusiastically performed a show of dance and drama—in spite of the crushing heat! We were further entertained at the Baptist church in Matanzas where a musical group called Agua Viva (Water of Life) performed for us while the youth from the church led us in some typical Cuban dancing. We did a great deal of dancing on this trip. A particular treat was with a venerable seminary professor (92 years old) who was an expert instructor in folk dances from all around the world. He believed in dance as an effective tool for communication and understanding across cultures and he had us reeling and sashaying before we knew it!
The seminary also arranged a couple of lectures about the programs of study there and about AIDS education. The lecture on AIDS/homosexuality focused on how AIDS emerged in Cuba in the 80s more among the heterosexual community than among homosexuals; and it continues to spread, but in middle-aged people more than in youth. The presentation sort of touched on the shift in relationship dynamics in that women, both young and older, seem to take much more control and direction than they did formerly, carrying their own condoms for example.
The rector of the seminary also spoke to us and highlighted that Matazas is the only ecumenical seminary in Cuba, and 2 denominations (Anglican & Presbyterian) make up the board. They have a partnership with the United Church of Canada and receive funds from the World Council of Churches and from congregations in the USA and Canada (but not from the Cuban government).
It was mentioned that many pastors were supportive of the revolution, though the government put some limits on the extent to which practicing Christians could participate in government positions. We were also curious to learn that Christmas was not observed openly (no school holiday etc.) from the time of revolution until the Pope's visit to Cuba in 1998.
The rector of the seminary also spoke to us and highlighted that Matazas is the only ecumenical seminary in Cuba, and 2 denominations (Anglican & Presbyterian) make up the board. They have a partnership with the United Church of Canada and receive funds from the World Council of Churches and from congregations in the USA and Canada (but not from the Cuban government).
It was mentioned that many pastors were supportive of the revolution, though the government put some limits on the extent to which practicing Christians could participate in government positions. We were also curious to learn that Christmas was not observed openly (no school holiday etc.) from the time of revolution until the Pope's visit to Cuba in 1998.
Cuba is a country filled with a variety of flora and fauna and natural beauty so the seminary arranged for us to tour a couple of local sites around Matanzas (Bellamar Caves and an ecological river park). On the last morning there, we had the opportunity to work in the seminary's organic garden. This is a very special project of the seminary and it produces a large amount of vegetables and other produce which they disperse among the community and also serve in their dining room for the students and staff. The food at the seminary was delicious, by the way, thanks to Mamita who is in charge of the kitchen, and was very plentiful. They treated us royally!
After Matanzas we went to Veradero and stayed at the beach for 2 and a half days. There we convened with another group of youth (from the church in San Nicolas where Beidy Casas and her husband pastored). They traveled all the way, about 2.5 hours, in a small open truck to spend the day with us at the beach. We all played volleyball and other games together and dialoged through interpreters; and there was more dancing. On Sunday we went to a church in Veradero that is a partner with the United Church of Canada. They hold bi-lingual services there and a pastor from Winnipeg was actually preaching that day. There were other Canadian youth staying at that church so we got together with them a bit later on Sunday night at a Cuban disco—more dancing.
The kids did most of their shopping in Veradero where there was an actual shopping mall as well as many artisan shops.
We left Veradero and traveled to a small town called San Nicholas (to visit that same group of youth that came to us at the beach) and spent the day at the Presbyterian Church there having lunch, dialog and games with the youth. This was a bit of a reunion for Beidy, a return to the church she has worked in for several years. We got to see the beautiful garden she and her husband created with an arbor and a small fountain and pond. But the highlight was really getting to know some of the youth there and feeling the warmth of their hospitality.
We then went west to see an ecological preservation project and stayed in an area called Vinales; we also passed through the town of Pinar del Rio (which was an area hit very hard by the recent hurricanes). This was a very distinct landscape from what we had seen previously. We were struck by the different feel this area had from the other places we had visited.
Next we headed to the capital, Havana, and we briefly toured the beautiful old city. This is a Unesco world historical site due to the unique architecture and design of the buildings and plazas. We saw evidence of the effort to restore many of the gracious old buildings. Then Beidy suggested we have a unique experience. She took us into the small Chinatown section of Havana where we had lunch in a Chinese restaurant which serves pizza and pasta!—and it was really good! On another day there, we also visited Revolution Square and the Jose Marti memorial museum and tried to explain to the youth some of the significance of these sites.
After Matanzas we went to Veradero and stayed at the beach for 2 and a half days. There we convened with another group of youth (from the church in San Nicolas where Beidy Casas and her husband pastored). They traveled all the way, about 2.5 hours, in a small open truck to spend the day with us at the beach. We all played volleyball and other games together and dialoged through interpreters; and there was more dancing. On Sunday we went to a church in Veradero that is a partner with the United Church of Canada. They hold bi-lingual services there and a pastor from Winnipeg was actually preaching that day. There were other Canadian youth staying at that church so we got together with them a bit later on Sunday night at a Cuban disco—more dancing.
The kids did most of their shopping in Veradero where there was an actual shopping mall as well as many artisan shops.
We left Veradero and traveled to a small town called San Nicholas (to visit that same group of youth that came to us at the beach) and spent the day at the Presbyterian Church there having lunch, dialog and games with the youth. This was a bit of a reunion for Beidy, a return to the church she has worked in for several years. We got to see the beautiful garden she and her husband created with an arbor and a small fountain and pond. But the highlight was really getting to know some of the youth there and feeling the warmth of their hospitality.
We then went west to see an ecological preservation project and stayed in an area called Vinales; we also passed through the town of Pinar del Rio (which was an area hit very hard by the recent hurricanes). This was a very distinct landscape from what we had seen previously. We were struck by the different feel this area had from the other places we had visited.
Next we headed to the capital, Havana, and we briefly toured the beautiful old city. This is a Unesco world historical site due to the unique architecture and design of the buildings and plazas. We saw evidence of the effort to restore many of the gracious old buildings. Then Beidy suggested we have a unique experience. She took us into the small Chinatown section of Havana where we had lunch in a Chinese restaurant which serves pizza and pasta!—and it was really good! On another day there, we also visited Revolution Square and the Jose Marti memorial museum and tried to explain to the youth some of the significance of these sites.
Havana is a very large city of more than two million people. We stayed in a part of the city called Luyano, and we bunked in a Presbyterian Church--our rooms were actually in the balcony of the sanctuary. The church was a lovely older building and stood out in contrast to its surroundings due to its higher level of building maintenance; also, there was a gated entrance and a man who seemed to casually monitor the comings and goings of people in and out of the church property. The minister has an apartment right in the church building and the youth seem to be able to come and go as they please to use the facilities as they need. We spent quite a bit of time with the youth group there. We had a dialog with them one evening about typical life for a teenager in Cuba: what their day would be like, what things they do together as a youth group, how they support each other etc... We were struck by the limited range of activities they related… a lot of TV watching, which surprised us. However, they also spend time together just hanging out or going on outings, so they seemed sort of like an extended family together. For our last night, they made a piñata for our youth and we had a party with them and the kids danced together for about 5 hours!
We are grateful to all the congregations for their support and sponsorship, without which we could never have gone on such a trip. We hope to continue our contact with the youth we met in Cuba, especially as they are undergoing such hard times due to the hurricanes this fall. The follow up to this trip will be part of the focus of the YouthonBloor program in the coming months.
