Aim: to promote healthy lifestyles among the population (especially Youth).

Activities: organization of international work camps; organization of summer camps; organization of youth exchanges and youth initiatives; organization of sport activities (canoeing, mountain bikes); Fair Trade awareness (shops, school activities, fairs, etc.); coordination of Casa da Juventude de Amarante, a Youth Centre, in partnership with the City Hal

Aims: to raise awareness among the participants and the population on social inclusion, mainly concerning handicapped young people; to raise awareness also about fair trade, organic farms and environment preservation.

Activities: group dynamics; presentation to the city and region; discussion on the work camp theme (objectives, tasks division); visit to the most important places of the city; training on theatre performance and workshop on how to deal with the difference; direct contact and work with local NGO (Cercimarante) responsible for activities with local handicapped young people; organize an event (theatre performance) involving both groups (work camp participants and local handicapped young people) to be presented to the local community (street performance – expected more than 500 persons to attend); visits to some of the main cities and spots in the North of Portugal (Guimarães, Porto, Parque Natural do Alvão).

Participants will be accommodated in shared rooms (4 participants each) of Casa da Juventude de Amarante (even so participants should all bring sleeping bag). Casa da Juventude de Amarante has its own kitchen, wc and showers. In terms of food, our youth center has a bar\restaurant proposal for the volunteers (breakfast, lunch and dinner) always taking into consideration our aims (healthy food with organic and vegetarian ingredients). Laundry available (self-service). Our youth center has free wireless.

Amarante is a small town in the North of Portugal, part of Porto district (60km far from Porto, to the interior) with 12 thousand inhabitants (in the city center). It is a quite famous city for tourism, culture and wine production. Indeed, is quite near (18km) the Oporto wine regi on. Is crossed by Tâmega River (one of the rivers ending at Douro River that crosses Porto till the Atlantic Ocean) and it is on the valley of one of the most impor tant Portuguese mountains, Marão (1450m). Amarante is well located (nearby passes highway A4 connecting to Oporto and highway A11 connecting to Guimarães) and has a good public transport system (bus station). The city is 40 min way from the nearest airport (Oporto) by car.

- Inside the building of Casa da Juventude de Amarante is not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol (except in the bar or terrace);

- Garbage should be separated: glass, plastic, paper, organic;

- We all have different time perceptions and so we should respect others and prepare in time our participation in daily activities;

- Every day we meet at 21h00 in a circle to evaluate our day, share whatever with the group and read our mail box;

- Each day a different room is responsible for daily house work: food preparation support, garbage, dinner cleanings, etc...