Every student is required to complete 40 hours of community involvement in order to receive his/her diploma. Students can start accumulating community involvement hours in the summer before they enter Grade 9. The purpose is to encourage students to develop an understanding of the various roles they can play in their community and to help them develop a greater sense of belonging. Some students may wish to complete more than 40 hours, which is great. Community involvement sheets can be printed off below or picked up from Guidance on the wall by the door. Please hand in your completed Community Involvement Hours form to the guidance office. Contact Guidance for more information about eligible activities and the process of recording your community involvement hours.

 

 

For the 2023-24 school year:

 

The following list provides some examples of flexible ways' students could earn community involvement hours in keeping with the purpose of the policy, which is to encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role they can play and the contributions they can make in supporting and strengthening their communities, including:

Providing tutoring and mentorship supports through:

o Virtual tutoring to help students with reading, communication and/or other skills

o Teaching online music or dance lessons

o Hosting art classes for younger students

o Assisting siblings and/or younger students with online learning and schoolwork

Connecting with and supporting seniors by:

o Conversing with seniors virtually, for example, acting as technology mentors or providing a regular check-in to address isolation and build cross-generational friendships

o Joining or creating a letter-writing campaign to seniors

o Delivering groceries to elderly/immunocompromised neighbours

Supports for families, neighbourhoods and community initiatives:

o Supporting a family by walking a younger child to and from school

o Participating in donation pick-ups for not-for-profit organizations

o Coordinating a donation event with a local organization such as a shelter

o Facilitating discussions with newcomer youth or families to help them learn about their new community

o Sewing masks to donate to social agencies

o Shoveling snow and/or performing yard work for a family or neighbour's family due to extenuating circumstances

o Taking part in neighbourhood litter-pick-up hour

Utilizing social media to connect with their community by:

o Organizing a virtual reading or math activity for their feeder elementary schools

o Creating a transition support video for Grade 8 students

o Doing a musical performance that could provide entertainment for seniors

o Encouraging people to donate through various social media platforms to food banks or other not-for-profit organizations

o Creating a flyer for promotion on social media for a local cause

 

There are also some virtual volunteering opportunities available; students can come to the Guidance office for more information. Please also remember to check the Community Involvement Board Posted Outside of Guidance.

 

Resources and Forms

Workplace Safety