With the implementation of the project “Fit for Europe – Sport, Health, and Cooking in the European City of Bocholt,” we want to enable young people from nine nations – including EU member states and countries outside the ERASMUS+ youth funding program, the twin towns from Great Britain, Ukraine, Albania, and China – can actively and athletically participate in the European Youth Camp 2026 in Bocholt. We deliberately chose this theme for the coming year because the Winter Olympics and the 2026 World Cup will take place. Both events are global sporting highlights. The Olympic Games in particular stand for fair play, peace, and unity across borders, cultures, and worldviews. We believe that they offer young people strong role models and motivate them to lead an active, healthy lifestyle and to develop discipline and perseverance – regardless of their origin or social background. At the same time, they promote values such as diversity, inclusion, and equality (including para and women's sports) and open up spaces for young people to engage in intercultural exchange and share their visions for the future. Our goal is therefore to create innovative sporting and intercultural European exchange formats that not only enable young people to gain a wide range of experiences in the areas of sport, health, and cooking, but also strengthen their skills in teamwork, understanding of democracy, and project development. The camp aims to bring together young people from different cultural and social backgrounds, give them practical experience of participation, and focus on the values of team spirit, equality, and European cohesion. The aim is for young people to recognize how important European cooperation is for their daily lives, while at the same time giving them the opportunity to contribute their own views, opinions, and sporting ideas. Five half-days are available for content design in the areas of sports, health, and cooking, which will be organized using innovative methods. The other days are dedicated to team building, two excursions, and getting to know the European city of Bocholt. Interactive “challenge labs” are planned in the form of small, coordinated exercises that are developed as part of a training program and carried out in mixed-nationality teams. Methods used during the reflection evenings, such as World Café and simulation games, encourage reflection, a change of perspective, and joint action. These units are supplemented by a “digital storytelling workshop” in which young people prepare their views on their own nation on the above-mentioned topics in short films, PowerPoint presentations, etc., present them to the other nations, and thus learn to use digital media responsibly for democracy and participation. Other innovative formats, such as a “mini hackathon,” help participants to look at problems or challenges in sports in an innovative way and develop initial ideas at the youth level for improving the sports experience, for example, how sports can overcome exclusion or how healthy eating can be promoted in schools. Low-threshold approaches in the sports workshops and sessions offer young people with language barriers in particular the opportunity to get actively involved. Cooking together in mixed-nationality groups in guided intercultural cooking workshops on healthy living complements the program. The youth groups bring recipes from their home countries. Through joint project work, the young people learn to take responsibility for their own ideas and implement them. They develop social, intercultural, and linguistic skills, gain self-confidence, and experience firsthand what teamwork and European cooperation mean. A special focus is placed on the integration of young people from Ukraine and refugee youth living in Bocholt. Their experiences and perspectives enrich the group and illustrate that peace and freedom in Europe cannot be taken for granted. The results of the project are documented in various formats, such as PowerPoint presentations and photos, and shared with partners, politicians, and civil society via the Bocholt Cloud as examples of best practice. This not only strengthens a European network of young people, but also further develops the network of participating cities and organizations that has been supporting European youth camps for years. The project aims to involve young people on an equal footing, regardless of their origin, language, or financial means. It creates spaces for participation, promotes skills that are important for school, work, and social engagement, and raises participants' awareness of the EU, European solidarity, and cooperation.