Community Service Hours

Community Involvement Hours

The Ministry of Education has updated the list of eligible activities for students to obtain community involvement hours to meet their graduation requirement. The temporary activities which were available to students during the pandemic have now been removed from the list. The OCDSB Community Involvement Hours webpage has the details of the eligible categories. Please review the list and choose accordingly. 

Students are required to earn 40 Community Involvement hours.


Students are encouraged to submit their hours using the paper version of the Community Involvement Hours form available here (and in the Student Services office).  Please hand in the completed form to the Student Services office. 

Students can also submit their hours electronically via the OCDSB Community Involvement Hours Form (electronic).

It is recommended that students do some community service hours every year in high school. If you need ideas about where to do your community service, there are suggestions on the back of the form. In addition, opportunities are shared on the Student Services Google Classroom.

Students entering grade 9 can do community service in the summer between grade 8 and grade 9. 

 

Community Involvement hours must fall into one of these categories:

     Not-for-profit: includes voluntary activities for any not-for-profit institution or foundation that would not displace a paid worker.

      For-profit: includes voluntary activities that are charitable-based for any business or organization that would not displace a paid worker. If volunteers are enhancing a product/service being sold/provided by a for-profit business designed to make it more attractive and/or a better experience for clients, then it is not in keeping with the spirit of community service and would not be an approved activity.

      Other: community support that you feel warrants consideration.  In this case, please submit a brief written summary that explains how this experience meets the spirit and expectations of community involvement as identified above.

If students are considering any of the activities that would fall into the second or third category above, approval by the Principal or designate at your school is required. 

Below are activities that were temporarily eligible and have been revoked in the July 28, 2023 update to PPM 124 Ontario Secondary School Diploma requirement: community involvement activities.  The number of ineligible activities has increased in this latest update.  Please review accordingly.

The following experiences are no longer accepted:  

      During instructional time on a school day;

      Through duties normally performed at home (e.g., helping an elderly relative with an errand or a sibling with homework);

      From paid employment for students 14 years and older (to a maximum of 10).

 





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