So how lucky am I?!?
The scene is straight out of a fairytale- yet this was actually our office space for a morning session on RecrearMagnify Armenia
Chinito and the garden
Chinito proudly explained to me everything that, being lost in my daily hustle, I had never come close enough to see.
You Defend What You Feel
Young people with a strong commitment to the environment have one common denominator: they each have their own personal, as if customized, relationship to nature.
Everything is Changing?
I was aware of the changes in Cuba, and what organizations need to do to survive. Yet, I could not imagine how much, in just three years, this space and its people could have transformed. I started asking myself a few questions: the first was how much things were really changing in Cuba, and if this type of mentality . . .
Everything in nature has a role, even when it seems ‘bad’
The dominant view is that the marabou prevents people from using these idle lands and making them cultivable. Ironically enough, the “weed” has actually helped to rejuvenate the land and biodiversity.
Normalized Solidarity
So I am sitting here thinking I am having a sort of epiphany – solidarity can’t be a hobby. I need to make it a lifestyle.
Santa Clara Botanical Garden: Showcasing plant species endemic to Cuba
the national flower of Cuba, the Mariposa Blanca or White Ginger Lily, isn’t endemic to Cuba but originates from Asia.
Nature Inspired Wisdom
“I am like an ant, I am like a bird. I am neither unique nor better or more valuable than any other part of nature. We are all important.”
SONGS THAT REPRESENT CUBAN YOUTH!
Recrear sat down with 8 Cuban youth leaders and discussed the power and importance of music for them. Each participant chose one song and explained to us why they believe it represents Cuban youth. Here is what they told us
The power of growing collective knowledge from Cuban youth
The Recrear-CYEN participatory research project is being done by, not for, local youth, meaning that they constantly influence and direct the entire research process
