With “Bite Into Change: Fighting Food Waste and Overconsumption,” we want to empower young people to understand the consequences of unsustainable consumption patterns, reflect critically on their own lifestyles, and discover concrete alternatives that they can practice and promote in their communities. The project is not just about talking about food waste — it is about showing youth, through lived experience, that everyday actions such as cooking, shopping, or sharing food can have a direct positive impact on the environment and society. From the perspective of youth work practice, the project responds to a visible need: young people are growing up in a consumer culture where abundance, speed, and convenience dominate, while awareness of the hidden costs of these choices is often missing. Many youth workers recognise that food and consumption are perfect entry points for sustainability education because they are relatable to all. Food is part of daily life, crosses all cultural boundaries, and connects personal choices to global issues like climate change, pollution, and inequality. By using non-formal learning methods — cooking together, debating, experimenting, creating campaigns — the project provides youth-friendly ways to deal with a complex theme. The project also strengthens the role of youth organisations as spaces where young people can learn outside formal education. Schools often address environmental issues from a theoretical perspective, but youth work allows a more experiential and practical approach. By implementing this exchange, our organisations will demonstrate how youth work can contribute to EU priorities such as the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals, while at the same time promoting personal growth, intercultural learning, and community involvement. Our main aims are: To raise awareness among young people about the environmental and social consequences of food waste and overconsumption, with a particular focus on the role of the food industry as a major global polluter. To equip participants with practical skills to reduce food waste and live more sustainably (meal planning, creative reuse of food, meat-free cooking, digital campaigning). To empower participants as multipliers, able to share what they have learned with peers, families, and local communities through concrete follow-up actions. To strengthen intercultural learning by comparing food traditions, habits, and attitudes from Austria, Croatia, Portugal, Romania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, showing both diversity and common challenges. To build youth competences such as teamwork, digital communication, project management, and critical thinking, which are transferable to many areas of life. To connect youth work with sustainability, showing how NGOs and youth groups can play an active role in shaping attitudes and behaviours that support climate goals. Specific objectives (from the perspective of youth work practice): Create a safe intercultural space where young people aged 18–30 can meet, live, and learn together, experiencing sustainable lifestyles in practice. Use non-formal education methods (workshops, cooking challenges, outdoor activities, campaigns) to make complex environmental issues understandable and engaging for youth. Encourage reflection and recognition of learning outcomes through daily virtual evaluations and Youthpass, making young people aware of the competences they gain. Involve participants actively in all phases of the project — from planning and preparation to implementation and follow-up — so they develop ownership and leadership skills. Produce concrete outputs (awareness campaign, recipe booklet, flyer, virtual cooking workshops) that will disseminate results and prove the social value of youth work. Strengthen the European dimension of youth work by fostering cooperation between organisations from five different countries and giving participants the experience of international teamwork. Promote sustainable attitudes and behaviours that participants can bring back into their everyday lives and peer groups, ensuring a long-term impact beyond the project itself. What we want to achieve overall: By implementing this project, we want young people to realise that they are not powerless in the face of global environmental problems. On the contrary, they can be changemakers who influence their families, schools, and communities. The project will inspire them to take responsibility, equip them with the tools to act, and connect them with a network of peers across Europe who share the same commitment. At the same time, it will demonstrate to youth organisations how to successfully integrate sustainability into their work and how to use non-formal education to make global issues concrete and relevant for young people.