Our project was initiated by a consortium of 11 organizations. The impetus behind this partnership was the troubling statistics provided by the European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Department in 2019. It was reported that more than 6.3 million young people aged between 15-24 years were neither in employment or in education or training (NEETs) in the EU. Further, over 4.2 million young people in the same age group were unemployed. Despite a decrease in the youth unemployment rate from 23% in 2015 to under 19% in 2018, it remained alarmingly high, with peaks over 40% in several countries. Moreover, the EU youth unemployment rate was more than double the overall unemployment rate, around 19% compared to 9% in 2016. This issue was compounded by significant differences between countries, with a gap of more than 30 percentage points between the lowest and highest youth unemployment rates in member states. In light of these challenges and recognising the benefits of volunteering in combating NEET status, our project focused on bridging the gap between service and learning within voluntary projects. We believed that voluntary activities should not only address the societal needs of local communities but also emphasize personal learning processes for volunteers, especially those in the NEET category. As a consortium, we decided to explore the methodology of self-directed learning as a non-formal educational tool for self-development and adapt it to our local and transnational voluntary youth projects. The primary objectives of our project were multifaceted and tailored to address the needs of young people in the NEET demographic across the 9 participating countries. Firstly, we aimed to explore and adapt at least 9 of the best practices of voluntary youth work identified across these countries. Our goal was to establish a cohesive and effective approach, melding the unique strengths of each country's approach to youth work. Secondly, we sought to share and explore 30 innovative youth work methods, tools and techniques related to self-directed learning within both local and European voluntary work. We believed in the power of collaboration and knowledge exchange to bring about a well-rounded, effective methodology. Our third objective was to create and offer more attractive educational opportunities for young people in NEET situations. We focused on self-directed and social learning within local and transnational voluntary work, aiming to foster their competencies. Particular emphasis was placed on encouraging them to discover their own strengths and passions, as we understood this to be a crucial element in self-development. Lastly, we endeavoured to promote local and international voluntarism as a powerful tool for young people in NEET. The benefits we hoped to amplify through this promotion included self-directed and social learning, empowerment, active participation in society, self-awareness, initiative, entrepreneurship and ultimately, employability. Our belief was that through volunteering, young people in NEET could gain valuable skills and experiences that would significantly benefit them in their future endeavours.