Every student must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities as one of the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
The Purpose of Mandatory Community Involvement is:
- To encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility
- To increase awareness of the role students can play and gain satisfaction from the contribution they can make in supporting and strengthening their communities
- To develop a positive image and a greater sense of identity within the community
Completing Community Involvement Activities
Students may complete the requirement starting on July 1 after they leave Grade 8 and ending before they graduate from secondary school. This requirement is normally to be completed outside the student’s normal school instructional hours.
Tracking Your Community Involvement Hours
Documentation attesting to the completion of each community involvement activity, in the form of the Community Involvement Tracking Record Sheet, must be submitted.
For more information on the community involvement requirement, eligible community involvement activities:
Volunteer Opportunities:
Students are welcome to coordinate unpaid volunteer experiences on their own. Common activities include:
Guidance occassionally shares local opportunities with the school community that arise.
Additionally, the Waterloo Region has set up an excellent resource to assist youth in finding opportunties throughout the year. Please visit Volunteer Waterloo Region for opportunities.
