Int-WorsOutdoorInt-WestBayfield2Int-Career-Day---Mapleview-Heig

Community Involvement

Community Involvement Hours

APM 7611 - Community Involvement Activities

Every student is required to complete 40 hours of community involvement in order to receive his/her diploma. Effective July 1, 2011, students will be able to 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.

Students are encouraged to choose an activity that interests them or try out a future career area that they would like to explore.  Some students may wish to complete more than 40 hours, especially if they have a particular area of interest or destination pathway.

Contact your secondary school’s Guidance Department for more information about eligible activities and the process of recording your community involvement hours. 

Eligible Activities

Our local school board in consultation with school councils, the board’s Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) and Ontario School Board's Insurance Exchange (OSBIE) considers the following as eligible activities:

•  assistance to seniors
•  environmental projects
•  sports and recreation activities
•  working with charitable and service organizations
•  working in health facilities
•  community or specific school-related activities 

Ineligible Activities

The Ministry of Education developed a list of activities that are ineligible. These include activities that:

•  take place in a logging or mining environment, if the student is under 16 years of age;
•  take place in a factory, if the student is under 15 years of age;
•  take place in a workplace other than a factory, if the student is under 14 years and not
   accompanied by an adult;
•  would normally be performed for wages by a worker;
•  involve operating a vehicle, power tools, or scaffolding;
•  involve the administration of any type or form of medication or medical procedure to
   other persons;
•  involve the handling of substances classed as "designated substances" under the
   Occupational Health and Safety Act;
•  require the knowledge of a trades person whose trade is regulated by the provincial
   government;
•  involve banking or the handling of securities, jewelry, works of art, antiques, or other
   valuables;
•  consist of duties normally performed in the home;
•  involve a court-ordered program (i.e. community-service program for youth,
   probationary program);
•  involve the use of a firearm.

Resources and Forms

Community Involvement

•  Community Involvement Brochure and Form for Completion of Activities
•  Information for Parents and Students
•  Information for Community Partners
•  Serve Your Community Safely - a guide for Ontario secondary school students
     completing their 40 hours of community involvement

Workplace Safety

•  Live Safe! Work Smart! (website with health and safety resources)
•  Tip Sheets for Workplace Safety - students, employers, supervisors and parents   
•  Work Smart Ontario - Volunteer Safety for Teens