No less important for Cuba’s embattled revolution are the winds of hope wafting across from the other side of the Caribbean. Cuba’s youth, who have grown up in the shadows of the Special Period, long for new horizons: decent salaries, a home of their own – Cuba has an acute housing deficit made worse by the devastating 2008 hurricanes – the possibility of travel beyond their island, and the promise of a less antiquated, more dynamic and more participatory socialism, especially when it comes to participation in decision-making. This generation has no memory of life under capitalism, and young Cubans tend to take for granted the revolution’s enduring achievements. They are more prone to disillusionment with the revolution than either their parents or grandparents.

US imperialism works hard to co-opt them with the false hope of a capitalist utopia. Gold chains and designer labels are the new status symbols for some, while the ubiquitous reggaeton music that thumps out its hedonistic and misogynistic lyrics from every bar and neighbourhood has largely displaced the traditional salsa and the earlier craze for more politically progressive, home-grown hip-hop. This reflects a desire to escape material hardship, the rigours of the revolutionary struggle and a certain generational dissonance. Some of Cuba's disillusioned youth have left the island.

But by participating in the Venezuelan social “missions” in health care, education and sports, young Cubans can see for themselves what capitalism has done to the capitalist Third World. They can see that Che's image is not only ubiquitous in Venezuela but his speeches and writings are studied seriously, as are those of Fidel. They can experience something infinitely more precious than gold: the gratitude of the humble people of the barrios whose lives they have saved, and who can now read and write with such pride thanks to their efforts. Young Cubans can absorb the invigorating spirit of this new revolution in all its freshness and vitality and bring some of this spirit back home.

Cuba's internationalist mission in southern Africa, which drew to a close as the Soviet bloc was disintegrating, forged a generation of revolutionary cadres and leaders that steeled Cuba in the face of the enormous crisis of the Special Period. Today, Cuba's internationalist mission in Venezuela is playing a similar role for a new generation, as is the revolution’s battle for the hearts and minds of its youth at home through the noble efforts of its 40,000 young social workers.