Vá firme na direção das suas metas. Porque o pensamento cria, o desejo atrai e a fé realiza.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Join me on this journey: This week, I will be traveling to Qatar and Jordan -- countries located in a part of the world known as the “Middle East” (if you look on a map, it’s just to the east of Africa) -- and I want young people like you all across America to join me on this journey! On this trip, just like on previous international trips, I’ll be focusing on global girls’ education, an issue I care deeply about as a First Lady, a mother of two daughters, and a woman whose life was transformed by my education. You see, neither of my parents went to college, and they didn’t have much money. But they pushed me to work as hard as I could in school, and thanks to a lot of financial aid, I was able to go to college and law school and have all kinds of exciting jobs and opportunities. Unfortunately, so many girls around the world never have the opportunities I had to get an education and fulfill their dreams. In fact, right now, 62 million girls across the globe aren’t going to school at all. Many of them simply can’t afford it because, unlike here in the U.S., in some countries, parents actually have to pay for their kids to attend school. Sometimes the nearest school is miles away, and parents are afraid their daughters will be hurt or kidnapped while walking to or from school. Some schools don’t have adequate bathrooms for girls, so they have to stay home when they have their periods, and they may fall behind and even wind up dropping out. Imagine what it would be like for you if you had to stop your own education. Imagine being told, at the age of 12 or 13, “That’s it, you’re done with school. You’ve gotten all the education you’re ever going to get -- you won’t do any more science projects, or read any more books for English class, or have any more music, or art, or sports, or time with your friends in the lunchroom. And any dreams you have for what you want to be when you grow up -- a teacher, an astronaut, a nurse, a writer -- you have to give them up because you’ll never get the knowledge and skills you need to do those jobs.” Pretty awful, right? And I don’t think any young person should ever have to give up their dreams like this. I think every child on this planet -- boys and girls -- should be able to get an education. That’s why, last spring, President Obama and I launched Let Girls Learn, a new initiative to help adolescent girls across the globe go to school. Through Let Girls Learn, we’ll be helping communities around the world create girls’ leadership and mentorship projects, build school bathrooms for girls (because sometimes, schools don’t have adequate bathroom facilities for girls, which is one of the reasons why they can’t attend school), and more. We’ll also be funding girls’ education programs in countries that are torn apart by war or violence, and we’ll be working to address issues like poverty that make it hard for girls to get an education (because their families can’t afford to send them to school). And this week, I’m heading to Qatar to speak at a global education conference attended by people from 120 countries around the world. I’ll be urging other countries to invest more in girls’ education and to challenge cultural beliefs and practices that make people think girls are less worthy of an education than boys. In Jordan, I’ll be visiting a school and speaking to several hundred middle school-aged girls. Like the U.S., Jordan is committed to educating every child in their country -- both boys and girls, including many children whose families have fled from Syria, a neighboring country that’s in the midst of a horrific civil war (millions of Syrians have had to leave their country because of the violence). Many of the girls at the school I’m visiting are Syrian refugees, and even though they’ve faced all kinds of challenges and hardships in their lives, they’re working hard in school and making their families proud. I’m excited to meet these girls -- and I’m excited to share their stories with all of you. I’ll also be visiting a military base in Qatar to spend time with some of our extraordinary men and women in uniform and tell them how thankful I am for their service. And I’ll be visiting an amazing historical and archeological site in Jordan called Petra -- a beautifully preserved city that’s thousands of years old! I want to share this journey with you, because I think it’s important for young people like you to be global citizens -- to connect with other young people around the world and learn about their lives. I also want you to be inspired and motivated by the girls I meet and to realize that if they can succeed in school even in the face of so many challenges, so can you. That’s why I’ll be using social media to share my trip with you. I hope you’ll join me! Here’s how: Check out my daily travel blog on go.wh.gov/FLOTUSMidEast and on Medium. Follow me on Twitter @FLOTUS and on Instagram @MichelleObama for the latest updates from the road. So stay tuned. -- Michelle Obama Find out how help yourself and others get covered during this Open Enrollment season Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. It's Time To #GetCovered If you – or someone you know – needs health insurance, now’s your chance to sign up for quality and affordable coverage. Open Enrollment only happens once each year. This year’s Open Enrollment runs from November 1 through January 31. Don’t miss your chance to get covered.  Here are three simple things you can do:   Sign Up: Visit HealthCare.gov to apply and enroll in coverage.   Share: Share information about Open Enrollment (in English or inSpanish) with your networks to let your friends and family know it's time to join the millions of Americans getting covered during the next three months. Serve: Visit Serve.gov to help people find local enrollment assistance and to find a volunteer opportunity near you. Be on the look-out for more volunteer opportunities throughout Open Enrollment season.  Here a few fast facts about getting covered through HealthCare.gov: It's not as expensive as you think. 8 out of 10 people who enroll in a health plan receive financial help. In fact, most people can find a health insurance plan for as little as $75 or less per month. It doesn't take as long as you think. During last year’s open enrollment, it took most people only about 10 minutes to submit an application. Sign up by December 15. December 15 is the deadline to sign up for coverage that starts on January 1. If you want to start the New Year with coverage, sign up by December 15. Free help is available! If you have questions about your coverage or want to make a change, personal help is just a call or click away. Call 1-800-318-2596 or find free in-person help in your community by visiting LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.  Hunton & Williams LLP  and Florida International Bankers Association invite you to join us for Focus on Financial Services: Shadow Banking Thursday, November 5, 2015 5:00 p.m. Registration     5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Program        6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Reception Hunton & Williams LLP 1111 Brickell Avenue, Suite 2500 Miami, FL 33131 Space is limited. FIBA Members  $35Non-Members   $50  Payments can be made via check at the door or online. Few things are as divisive as the views of industry participants on the financial activities of non-banks (aka shadow banks). With over $75 trillion in global assets, shadow banks have challenged traditional (regulated) banks in influence and with their potential to disrupt the US and global economies.  Join leaders from the banking and shadow banking arena for a discussion on the forces that have driven this new area within financial services. The panel will also focus on the expansion of private capital into the lending arena following the financial crisis.   Host: David J. Schwartz  CEO, FIBA  Moderator: Stefano D’Aniello Senior Attorney, Hunton & Williams Speakers:  Alex Rey, CCLExecutive Vice President, Merrick Capital Partners Chair, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Banking & Financial Services Committee  Thomas Dujenski Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal Former Regional Director, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Rajeev Patil Executive Vice President, SL Capital Additional speakers to be announced shortly. Feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues and friends whom you feel would be interested in the event. Starting today, the Health Insurance Marketplace is open for business. This means something for all of us.  THE WHITE HOUSE  It's that time. Are you covered? Starting today, the Health Insurance Marketplace is open for business. This means something for all of us. Whether you changed jobs or haven't been covered in the past, if you need health insurance for 2016, you can visit HealthCare.gov right now, apply, and get covered. Maybe you just want to shop around, consider your options, or update your current plan. Either way, now is the time to do it. Just make sure you create an account so that you can log back in, apply, and enroll, or just update your info before January 31, 2016. Plans on the Marketplace change every year and, new, better and more affordable plans might be available in your area this time around. And if you're already covered, then help spread the word to friends, family and loved ones -- let them know it's time to join the millions of Americans getting covered during the next three months. Right now, too many Americans who stand to benefit most from coverage have no idea what "open enrollment" means, what kind of coverage they're eligible for, or what health care might mean for them. We can help change that. Let them know it's time to #GetCovered. Thanks -- and we'll be in touch soon.