REASON Participation in society, also known as participation in democratic life, can take various forms. For example, it is known that young people's adherence to traditional forms of participation, such as elections, is low (Youth Participation Strategy, 202), so in order to promote their participation it was essential to break with traditionalist approaches to social and democratic participation by promoting alternative opportunities for participation, such as volunteering. According to the European Economic and Social Committee, as an expression of solidarity and social and civic involvement, volunteering ‘promotes and facilitates social inclusion, builds social capital and has a transformative effect on society. (...) There is no doubt that volunteers create substantial economic, environmental and social value. (...) For many, especially young people, volunteering is often the first activity in which they are empowered to respond to real social needs and able to quickly see the effects of their actions as active citizens, significantly reducing the risk of social exclusion’ (2022/C 152/04). Regarding the involvement of young people in voluntary activities, the available data (FLASH EUROBAROMETER 408 ‘European Youth’, 2015) indicates that around 25 per cent of European youth are involved in voluntary activities. A relatively low figure that reveals the existence and prevalence of a problem in various European contexts - the demotivation and poor adherence of young people to volunteering, which, being one of the most enriching forms of alternative participation from the point of view of the volunteer and society, as we have seen, is inextricably linked to the generalised disengagement of young people from participation in democratic life. Based on this social problem, it became clear that there was a need to invest in a project that would promote solidarity and volunteering among young Europeans. NEEDS AND OBJECTIVES The identification of the social problem and the challenges faced by young people, through collaboration between the organisations and the review of data, also allowed us to collect the common needs of the project (i.e. the needs that all the organisations perceived in their work with young people and that could make a difference to young people's adherence to volunteering). Specifically, the need for: - Greater understanding of the individual and collective benefits of volunteering, including the development of professionally useful skills and the reduction of social exclusion, in order to increase their motivation and take-up; - Development of basic values and skills for volunteering, in order to provide confidence in engaging in volunteering activities; - Using non-formal approaches to explore the specific ambitions of each young person, combining them with the local needs of each territory, so that each person's volunteering is useful for both parties; - More knowledge about the opportunities available in the field of volunteering, at local, national and international level, to facilitate access to them. To respond to these needs, we have defined the following objectives: a) General objective - Motivate young Europeans towards volunteering as an engine for inclusion and participation. b) Specific objectives - To provide young people with a transnational opportunity for non-formal learning and active participation; - Sensitise young people to the advantages of volunteering; - To explore volunteering opportunities at local, national and transnational levels with young people; - Develop a set of transversal and essential skills throughout young people's lives, promoting their ability to get involved in volunteering.