How Many Service Hours For High School

Written by Jacqueline (she/her), student

If you're an Ontario high school student, it's no underground that you're required to complete volunteer activities in your community in order to earn your diploma. Getting involved in the community is a not bad fashion to build up your résumé and gain feel!

Means you can become involved

One of the best places to start looking for volunteer work is at your local volunteer centre. To find yours, the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network has created a map of centres in Ontario. With and then many opportunities out there, my proffer is to volunteer with an organization you're familiar with or passionate about. If you aren't certain if something counts as volunteering, double-check with your schoolhouse board. Here are a few places to volunteer for you to consider:

Your current or previous school(due south)

One of the easiest ways to fulfill your volunteer hours is to help at your former simple or middle school. Schools often host events and fundraisers, and it also doubles equally an alibi to see the teachers you miss. Your high school may too have different events going on that need volunteers. Enquire around or connect with pupil clubs to see what'south going on.

I volunteered at school fundraising events. I earned around 10-12 hours every year, so I had all the required hours by the end of high school.

Community events and community projects

There are e'er events going on in the community, which means volunteers are needed. Call back of charity runs, marches, toy drives, or art exhibitions. Check out your metropolis's website to see what'southward on and where. In add-on to events, there are organizations in the community that need volunteers throughout the year, similar soup kitchens and food banks.

Sports and recreation

If you're a sports lover and desire to go on your volunteer hours tailored toward this passion, there are and then many means to become involved. Many loftier school teams need scorekeepers or timekeepers. The same is true for uncomplicated school sports. If you dearest the thought of teaching your favourite sport, you could assist coach or instruct different sports or recreational activities. Another style you tin can become involved is through sports associations, as they are also ofttimes looking for volunteers for events or camps.

I coached Form 8 volleyball, instructed sailing in the summer, and did the timekeeping for hockey games.

The best way to find opportunities is by asking sometime coaches or teachers involved in the sports leagues/associations. You might also find volunteer opportunities at Canadian-Universities, Special Olympics Ontario, or Toronto Athletic Camps.

A student volunteering at an animal shelter.

Environmental initiatives and supporting animals

Exercise yous love the outdoors and helping the environs? Well, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities for y'all! Talk to your local conservation surface area, they could likely use your assistance. Maybe fieldwork isn't exactly what you lot want to do. If that's the case, many organizations withal need help in the office where you tin can gain environmental knowledge. If y'all're more of an fauna lover, you can volunteer at local brute shelters, creature sanctuaries, or veterinary clinics.

Some good sites to check out include: Canadian-Universities, Ontario Wildlife Rescue, Ontario Nature, Good Piece of work, Nature Conservancy Canada, and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

Youth programs or volunteering with seniors

If you dearest working with youth, you could go involved with Scouts Canada or Girl Guides Canada. Summer camps are also a keen choice as they often need counsellors and leaders. If you're interested in becoming a teacher or librarian, local libraries are always looking for reading buddies.

Perchance you want to volunteer with seniors – seniors dearest visitors! Ask your local retirement or long-term intendance home well-nigh volunteer opportunities. Yous may get to help make crafts, play games, or even teach seniors how to utilise computers.

Wellness care opportunities

If yous're looking at going into health care, volunteering at your local hospital is a great mode to larn how the health care arrangement works. Canadian Claret Services also needs volunteers to help with claret donations. Yous could also check out Ontario Health Coalition or the Canadian Cancer Society for opportunities.

Religious opportunities

If y'all're a religious person, no thing which organized religion you lot follow, in that location are always opportunities for youth to get involved. Information technology could be leading a youth group or helping at a community dinner.

Still not certain what blazon of volunteer y'all are?
Take this quiz from Volunteer Canada to assistance you lot effigy out where your best fit is.

Benefits of volunteering

However feeling like you just desire to become the volunteer hours over with? What's the rush? Volunteering offers many benefits and can help you lot build stiff connections – connections that may assist y'all with your future career. If you lot speed through those hours, you may be missing out on the post-obit opportunities.

A student helping deliver food.

Gain work experience and transferable skills

You don't demand to be paid to proceeds workplace skills. Yous can develop effective communication, teamwork, administrative, and people skills while volunteering. These skills can be transferred to any workplace, and can assistance you accelerate your career past helping you get future jobs.

Explore/ notice different interests

If y'all're passionate nearly a number of different things, that's okay. Y'all tin can always choose to divvy up your hours and volunteer at multiple organizations. You might even notice a new passion or interest!

I developed my time direction, coordination, cooperation, and communication skills from my time volunteering.

Widen your social circle

When you volunteer at an system doing something you savour, yous're probable to come across people who share similar interests. Volunteering also connects you lot to a larger network. If you exercise a adept job, your supervisor may write you a reference letter or offer to be a recommendation for future jobs. You lot could even luck out and become a part-fourth dimension job inside the organisation.

Volunteering may seem like a big hurdle in high school, only there are many benefits of getting involved in your customs! You may even notice that volunteering is quite fun and pursue it throughout university.