Students who send reports to journalists in exile, young Journalism students preparing their own projects under anonymity, clandestine workshops for analyzing texts from independent media, and networks designed to alert from abroad when an activist is detained are part of the new ways of youth organization described in a recent report on Cuba.
The experiences are presented in Youth, Power, and Social Networks in Cuba, the report by Ciudadanía y Libertad, which recently identified 12 patterns of potential violations of the rights to peaceful assembly and association that particularly affect young people.
Unlike those repressive patterns, a section of the document focuses on what the organization calls "emerging forms of youth association": mechanisms through which some young people continue to connect, share information, and develop initiatives both on and off the island.
Students connected with journalists in exile
According to testimonies collected by Ciudadanía y Libertad, there are university students within Cuba who maintain connections with exiled journalists and send them reports and texts for publication.
The report also asserts that groups of students have anonymously signed joint statements critical of the official propaganda and are planning to create their own platforms within Cuba.
The organization does not identify the students or the universities involved. The testimonial sources used in the research were anonymized to protect both the participants and their families, so the extent of these networks cannot be determined from the report.
The study is based on two surveys conducted in April and June 2026 with young people residing in Cuba and in exile, further complemented by interviews and documentation provided by the participants.
The authors caution that this is a qualitative research study and not a statistically representative sample of Cuban youth.
Clandestine workshops and academic bibliography
One of the most striking findings relates to pre-university students who, according to the research, participate in clandestine workshops dedicated to analyzing texts published by independent media.
The report also describes another, less visible network: the digital circulation of literature and academic bibliography that is hard to access within Cuba.
Ciudadanía y Libertad states that some authors directly provide their work for distribution among Cuban students and maintains that this material has reached young people at most universities in the country.
The organization views this practice as an alternative way to access content outside of institutional channels of higher education.
An alarm from outside when someone goes missing
Connections with the exile also serve a protective function.
Young people facing connectivity issues within Cuba, according to the document, maintain contact with trusted individuals in other countries. These connections can sound the alarm in case of an arrest or prolonged silence and publish materials when the person remaining on the island is unable to do so.
The report also notes that these mechanisms have an emotional component: those who are abroad accompany and support the young people who continue to engage in activities within the country.
This is complemented by digital self-protection practices. Among these are two-factor authentication and the use of accounts linked to email addresses without an associated phone number, measures aimed at reducing the risks of losing access to accounts or identity theft.
Volunteers aged between 15 and 20 are running community projects
The study also documents a modality that is not directly related to political activism: community projects established by Cubans who later went into exile and continue to operate within the country.
According to Ciudadanía y Libertad, some of these initiatives are supported by volunteers aged 15 to 20 who provide assistance to marginalized communities without receiving compensation.
The organization presents these cases as evidence that there are ways of participation and community action among the younger sectors.
From traditional organizations to transnational networks
The phenomenon is relevant to the central thesis of the report. Citizenship and Freedom argues that the limitations on the establishment of independent organizations and the pressures described by the participants do not necessarily eliminate the association among young people, but rather may cause it to take on less visible forms and connect with individuals living outside the country.
The organization defines this phenomenon as a “transnational reconfiguration” of associative practices. Among its recommendations to international bodies is precisely to recognize and protect these youth networks of information and mutual support.
The report also suggests that those who emigrate do not necessarily sever their ties with Cuba. According to its authors, part of that generation maintains "living networks of connection with the island", a dynamic that the organization considers relevant for analyzing both current civil society and potential future political processes.
Citizenship and Freedom has conducted research in recent years focused on freedom of association and the civic space in Cuba, as well as advocacy actions before international organizations. The organization itself defines its objectives as documenting the restrictions on these rights and strengthening the capacities of Cuban civil society.
Youth, Power, and Social Networks in Cuba will be presented this Wednesday, September 23, in New York, at an event featuring Gina Romero, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to peaceful assembly and association; artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara; and Carolina Barrero, president of Citizenship and Freedom.
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