The project ‘Sports activities in nature, healthy lifestyle and ecological thinking’ was a youth exchange project for young people coming from 2 European countries: Norway and Malta. 24 young people, between the ages of 13 and 18 years, were involved in the project. The main activity of the project were a 6 days long youth exchange which was held in a small village in Norway as the host country. The project and its program were created as an appropriate combination of sports and ecological activities supplemented with non-formal education and methods. The project offered young people a way to actively and properly spend their leisure time. The project used sports activities and social contact as tools to develop good environmental and eating habits in young people which can positively affect their lifestyles. In addition, sports activities encourage young people to take certain types of social roles and modify their attitudes of behaviour, such as a sense of fair play, team work, cooperation, tolerance and empathy. Participants were - thanks to intercultural social contact – enriched by the experience of interaction with representatives of different cultures and nationalities. This intercultural contact variegated the outcomes of the project and it supported European thinking in its participants. These experiences of the participants are helpful in prevention of xenophobia and racism. The project and its main objectives were to positively influence behaviour and attitudes of young people. Since most of the participants came from disadvantaged areas and they are characterized by challenging behaviour the project successfully prevented and reduced their pathological behaviour, which is typical problematic behaviour for the adolescents. Participants obtained the experience which will increase their success at school, in education and it will give them more chances on the job market in the future. Youth were enriched with new skills and knowledge of recycling, environmental protection, healthy lifestyle and food preparation. Youth were encouraged to be proactive participants in the organization of the project and for this purpose appropriate methods and procedures were used. Methods of our project were proposed in order to let participant acquire positive attitudes of behaviour, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience, e.g. from friends, peer groups and person’s environment. The various interactive workshops and presentations were encouraged the participants to learn more about nature and need of protection of environment. Ecological activities helped the participants gain respect for the environment during their stay in nature. New experience and information about the environment have an international scope thanks to the participation of a foreign partner organization. Young people became aware of the global scope of the problem. They were able to use their imagination and creativity during art activities where they tried to work with recycled materials. An excursion to the waste-processing factory helped the participants better understand the problems of the project. It was a great opportunity for them to verify their theoretical knowledge in practice. Team building games helped bond and motivate the young people to participate in various activities. Sports activities, which were held outdoors in nature, were designed to promote teamwork, appropriate social behaviour and improve motor skills and movement of the youth. Youth were required to use their critical thinking and reflection during discussions and sessions in which they were able to identify their own learning outcomes and to evaluate the activities of the project, as well as to contribute to shaping of the feedback. The method of brainstorming, together with ice-breaking and role-playing, were used at the beginning of each day to activate the youth, strengthen the contact between them and motivate them to take part in activities. As a result of the project, participants became aware of the need to protect the environment and respect for nature. They understand the global scale of the problem and they realized the importance of ecological behaviour. They were motivated to lead a healthy lifestyle and spend time on leisure activities. Social interaction and daily experience reinforced positive behaviour of young people. Youth gained new knowledge and skills that they are able to use in the future and which positively affected their lifestyle.