Community Hours
Community Involvement Hours
Submission of hours
To have hours recorded, students can use this Community Involvement Recording Sheet, or a letter from their volunteer placement. NEW: This form is now a fillable PDF, so students just need to download a copy first, fill out the information on their computer, save, and print the PDF for parent/guardian and community sponsor to sign.
To submit your Community Involvement hours, please complete THIS form.
Community Service Hours
Students must complete 40 hours of volunteer work as one of the ministry requirements for their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The aim is to encourage students to become actively involved in making positive contributions to their community. Students may begin accumulating hours during the summer before they enter Grade 9. It is recommended that students complete their 40 hours by the end of Grade 10, or before they start working part time. Students may earn more than 40 hours and have these hours recorded.
For Volunteer Opportunities please visit:
Virtual Volunteering Opportunities
The Halton Board policy on Community Hours can be found HERE.
Ministry guidelines designate eligible and ineligible activities for the community involvement requirements.
Eligible Community Involvement Activities:
An event/activity/program:
Designed to be of benefit to the community;
To support not-for-profit agencies, institutions, or foundations;
Structured to promote tutoring, mentoring, coaching and whose purpose is to assist others;
That supports work of a global nature;
That promotes environmental awareness;
That promotes and contributes to the health and well-being of any group, including school-based activities;
Affiliated with a club, religious organization, arts or cultural association, or political organization that seeks to make a positive contribution in the community.
Ineligible Community Involvement Activities
The Ministry of Education and Training’s list of ineligible activities include:
Activities that take place during time allotted for instructional program on a school day;
Activities that displace paid workers and/or where you are normally paid (babysitting);
Required activities of a course where you earn a credit;
Participating on school sports teams or clubs;
Experiential learning (Take Our Kids to Work Day, job shadowing, Co-operative Education);
Regular family responsibilities (chores);
Court-ordered community service programs.