COMMUNITY SERVICE - Called to Serve
“Love seeks to serve; Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning.
Love has to be put into action and that action is service.”
(Mother Teresa)
Community service hour requirements to graduate in June 2023 have returned to 40 hours.
Why Volunteer?
Community involvement requirement is designed to encourage you to develop an awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role you play in supporting and strengthening your community. The requirement will benefit communities, but its primary purpose is to contribute to your development. It will provide opportunities for you to learn about the contributions you can make to your community.
Ideally we hope that you get as much out of giving as those who are on the receiving end of your efforts; that your motivation for volunteering extends beyond meeting the Ministry’s mandatory ’40 hour’ requirement to a sincere desire to do good for others; that you realize the 40 hours is only a beginning to a lifetime of volunteering and selfless giving.
When can I volunteer?
As part of the diploma requirements, all students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities.
These activities may begin on July 1st prior to the start of Gr. 9 (eg. July of the calendar year you will be entering Gr. 9).
Hours may be completed at any time during your years in high school.
Where can I volunteer?
Community involvement activities may take place in a variety of settings, including businesses (only in a fund-raising role), not-for-profit organizations and agencies, and public sector institutions (such as hospitals and schools).
Are there activities that are not considered ‘acceptable’?
You MAY NOT fulfill the requirement through the following:
(a) activities that are counted towards a credit (eg. coop course or work experience related to a course);
(b) paid labour;
(c) assuming duties normally performed by a paid employee.
For example, helping a store to do inventory or stock shelves for free when they could be hiring an employee to do these duties would actually be hurting your community as you would be putting someone out of work who could otherwise have earned an income. Helping a neighbour finish his basement is not helping the community, but only satisfies the need of someone who could have hired someone to work.
Can I volunteer during school hours?
The requirements must be completed outside of a student’s normal instructional hours – that is during lunch hours, on a spare, before or after school, on weekends or during school holidays and PD days.
Obviously, it would not make sense for the Ministry to allow a student to skip classes in order to complete these hours.
How do I record/submit community service hours?
Community service hour forms are PDF below or in the guidance office.
Fill in the form and have the supervisor of your volunteer activity indicate the activity volunteered for, the date(s) when you volunteered and the total hours completed. He/she is also to sign the form. Once you collected the information, including both your and your parent’s signature, you are to return the form to guidance. The hours will then be recorded and filed in your OSR. You can check with your guidance counselor at any time to find out how many hours have been recorded.
Where can I get information about volunteer opportunities?
The guidance office regularly gets requests for volunteers varying in length from a few hours to a few months. Typically an announcement is put on the P.A. informing students of the opportunity. This information is also posted on the bulletin boards outside the guidance office.
As well, you are encouraged to access the Volunteer Centre for Guelph-Wellington where you can customize your search to find opportunities available to you based on various factors including availability and personal interest. Their website is: http://www.volunteerguelphwellington.on.ca/
Reference: Ms. Penny Larue, Retired B.M. Guidance Department Head
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/124a.html