Community Service

As part of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma requirements, students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities. These activities may be completed at any time during their years in the secondary school programme.

The community involvement requirement is designed to encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role they can play in supporting and strengthening their communities.

 

Community involvement activities may take place in a variety of settings, including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, public sector institutions (including hospitals), and informal settings. The requirement is to be completed outside students’ normal instructional hours – that is, the activities are to take place in students’ designated lunch hours, after school, on weekends, or during school holidays.

 

Students will maintain and provide a record of their community involvement activities. Completion of the required 40 hours must be confirmed by the organizations or persons supervising the activities. Documentation attesting to the completion of each activity must be submitted to the principal by the student. This documentation must include for each activity the name of the person or organization receiving the service, the activity performed, the dates and hours, the signatures of the student and his or her parents, and a signed acknowledgement by the person (or a representative of the organization) involved. The principal will decide whether the student has met the requirements of the ministry.