EVMP supporter organisation, the South East European Youth Network (SEEYN), organised an international seminar rich in content, challenges and participant under the title “SEE Youth for European Year of Volunteering 2011.”  The event took place from 20 to 25 June 2011 in Sarajevo.
 
One of the panel sessions on June 22nd which aimed to discuss in detail the most important common actions regarding “Volunteering in the EU context” was dedicated specifically to the “Economic value of volunteering – model of Johns Hopkins University for measuring economic value.” The panel session was run as an informative workshop by Ivona Krstevska of the Youth Cultural Center Bitola in Macedonia and Member of SEEYN Steering Board. Ms. Krstevska also participated on behalf of SEEYN in the EVMP kick-off training in Tallinn in May 2011.
 
Ksenija Fonovic of SPES provided the essential elements for understanding the ILO Manual and the potential uses of data thus gathered. Participants were invited to follow the developments of the project and to encourage their governments to adopt this common statistical tool, which is considered especially important for countries approaching the dialogue around accession to the European Union, where civil society benchmarking is a valuable asset.
 
The panel gathered 22 participants – most of whom walked in knowing nothing about the ILO Manual and method, but all left with a keen interest in the potentials inherent in measuring the economic value of volunteer time. In this way EVMP ideas were planted in nine countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Monte Negro, Albania, Greece, France and Italy. Among the participants was Sarah E. Hayes, Consultant Director for the IAVE Global Corporate Volunteer Council, who will be helping to take this message beyond Europe to statistical offices in IAVE’s member countries worldwide.

- Ksenija Fonovic