Is Fashion important? - by Inês Peralta

In my opinion fashion is important, but it isn't the most important thing in the world, although many people think it.
Firstly, being fashionable can't be very important because most of the big brands are very expensive and not everyone has the opportunity to spend so much money to buy clothes. For example I prefer brand more accessible.
Secondly, I think fashion is a way for people to show their personalities, I think each person has their own style, its brand image and so there are many people who dress in a manner not very normal, they are eccentric and  has its own style to be basically unique. Me and my friends get dressed  in much the same way, what is normal because we have the same age and even our school basically teenagers today dress more or less the same way, although there are still people who still dress in a "childish" way. I don't care much about what's "in" or "out" I always try to fell good about what I wear.
In conclusion fashion is a way for people to show their personalities and it's state of mind

Do something - by Andreia Sequeira

The DoSomethig.org was founded in 1993 in the United States of America.
In 2010 arrived in Portugal.
The Do Something is a project that promotes civic participation and entrepreneurship in young Portuguese through new technologies.
With the Do Something we can create a club with a group of friends to do projects on the causes that most concerns us. Do Something Clubs are an opportunity to take the lead and improve our community. The Do Something gives us ideas and resources, but we are the one who decides which projects that the Club does. We also propose our own individual projects and receive funding to launch them through the financing Do Something.
In the Do Something website we can find tips for action that we can put into practice alone or with friends. We can also find on the site several volunteer opportunities close to us, promoted by associations and by the Do Something.
Since its launch the Do Something has mobilized young people from North to South!
Since 2010 there are 26 clubs that have already created Do Something, involving more than 400 students, 50 projects on the ground, with 2,012 young people involved and affected 61,000 people, 90 registered organizations (more than 50 volunteer opportunities), 1600 young people registered on the site with 45,000 visits (since August) and an average of 147 daily visits, the Summer Tour was present in nine locations from north to south of 1,200 young people representing about 500 volunteer hours.
When you visit the Do Something immediately are invaded by a willingness to help, just choose a cause that interests us, as: Health and Sport, Eating Disorders, Racism, Poverty, Environment, Arts and Culture, Human Rights, Education, Peace and Citizenship, (etc.) just a few minutes to read all the information the site gives us, and we are ready to help anyone. After being fully informed, when we noticed for ourselves, we are helping someone in our day to day.

I think that we should all follow the indications of the Do Something:
Do not forget you can always do something, when you resolve one challenge part to another part! The most important thing is to act and do something NOW.

New Year Resolution - by Catarina Mira

I spent my holidays in Estremoz and the most of the time in my house.

There I spoke in English, alone, with no body just to remind me of some

things. I didn't read anything in English but I saw many movies like: "The

Lord of the Rings", "Avatar" and my favourite... "Breaking Dawn part 1"

and much more.

In these holidays I saw my grandparents, my cousins, my aunts, my uncles

all the family.

I had a special meal but more in festive days. I ate cakes, puddings, lot of

sweet things, and typical food of the festive days.

Before the Christmas Day I received some gifts. I had a pyjama a great

book, that I'm loving to read it, but I received a bracelet too, that turns in

my arm six times, a coat and money. I gave two watches, a toy that is a

play farm, a book, slippers and chocolates.

I spent my New Year's Eve in Claudia's house with my parents. The food

was very good and when was time to the dessert, was the best part. We

talked, laughed with the jokes, watched movies. It was a happy moment.

For this year I would like to see the movie "Breaking Dawn part 2", and

jumping one meter with my horse, and I'm very close to accomplish that.

For 2012 I would like to stop wars, the crisis, poverty, the animal

extinction, the pollution, in general I just want the world be a better one.

Solidarity - by Marta Pécurto

        Being supportive is very important ! It's important to help other people and the animals too.
        There are several institutions that support various causes, some help the young people, homeless people, abandoned children, people in poverty, abandoned animals...        UNICEF, is an institution that defends the rights of children and protects them. Maybe, many of us have no idea how many children are hungry in this moment, this is very serious, they have no any food and sometimes we waste a lot !        In this moment the UNICEF works in 158 countries for all over the world.        Being supportive with the others makes feeling ourselves better ones. So now, you have no reason for not being supportive, what are you waiting for?!  ;) Be supportive !

WWF - by Diogo Banha

WWF means “World Wildlife Funde” which is an independent non-governmental organization.

Your major objectives are conserve nature, combat climate change, combating water waste, saving biodiversity and reduce humanity’s impact on natural habitats.

The WWF has about 5 million supporters and is active on five continents and in over 100 countries, hence it is an organization known throughout the world.

My New Year's Resolutions - Inês Peralta

My wishes for this new year aren't many, bud I'd like that this years would be better than the previous year  would like to get better marcs at school, one thing I really would love doing this year, particularly in  the Summer would be to fly, jump and in the  "hand-gliding".
My new year  eve wasn't anything special because I don't really like the New year's eve. Perhaps oul day when I'm going out with my friends I would like it more but by now I don't think in anything special.
As I'm not very superstitious I do not eat the "twelve steps".

The life of a swimmer

Hi! I’m Andreia, I’m 13 years old and I’m in 8th grade. I’m a swimmer. I swim since I was seven years old. Since I am federated my life changed radically. My day is very busy after leaving school; I go to the municipal swimming pools, to have two and a half hour of training and some gym work every day of the week. On Tuesdays I wake up at six thirty in the morning to go training, and at eight, I go to school. Wake up so early to go training costs, but I know it takes; we’ve got a great spirit of sacrifice to get out of bed with enough energy to go swimming. Sometimes when I get home from school, I just want to go to the couch and watch TV, but thanks to my parents who always help me, I can think twice, have a lunch, take my bag and go to train. My parents always told me that the school comes first and then the swimming, and that if I’m not successful at school I will have to give up swimming. So my organization has to be more rigid than that of a normal student. My homework is done when I have some free time, like when I leave school before five. I study for the tests in the free-afternoons, but sometimes when I feel it isn’t enough, I have to miss the train. My grades are good and everyone thinks I study a lot, but not, I don’t have much time to study because even at the weekend I’m busy with the competitions, but I know sometimes it’s necessary if I want to continue swimming. I’ve to give up the things that a normal teenager likes to do. So instead of watching TV, being with friends, or in the computer I have to study. My mother always taught me that wanting something is important, and I have taken this motto very seriously not only in sport but in all that includes my life, there are times that I just want to give up, because all my friends who have a “normal life”, they do huge plans for the weekend, like going to the cinema, going for walks, some birthday parties, and most often I say that not, and the excuse is always that I must train. It’s hard because I’m a normal kid who needs outgoing with friends, the parties and the free time. But while my friend are at parties and I’m in a competition, when I’m swimming and I remember that they are having fun without me, I understand why I’m there swimming and not with them. I feel proud to be doing that, and have a life different from the so called “normal” because my sacrifices are rewarding. In summer it’s hard, because I train in the afternoon, and I see most of my friends in the outside pools having fun. The trains often end in July. The Summer National Championship… are competitions like those that make me feel complete, that make me forget all the difficulties I went through to get it, what I had to leave behind to live that huge adrenaline, and be able to translate my passion in a moment, in that competition nothing else mattered. It was a world apart, and this is what I’m sorry that people don’t understand when they say “Andreia, you’re always training… Andreia, I don’t know how you can…” I feel that swimming is part of me, and that is an inexplicable passion, we create friends, travel with them and have fun doing something that we love. I feel that mw teammates and me coaches are like a family, we support us a lot, laugh together, cry together and that’s what makes it very special. Swimming for me us half of my life, and I would like that everyone had a passion as I have, because it is rewarding. I think that in order to be good, whatever it is, is necessary wanting to, and enjoy what you do. Speaking for my experience to be a good swimmer, you need to set priorities, you must have a spirit of sacrifice and think that when it goes wrong, the next time will be better… you need to think positive and be confident, you must be strong and always want to be better, but most of all you have to be passionate about what you do.