Community Service

Every graduating student must complete a minimum of 40 community hours, as part of the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The purpose of the community involvement requirement is to encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility, and the contributions they can make in supporting and strengthening their community.

For a submission of 40 or more hours, students require a letter from their sponsor.

Community Service Letter Requirements

Name of student – first and last name
Name of organization – on organization letterhead is preferred
Number of hours completed
Detailed list of duties completed (ex. Sarah H completed 40 hours serving food for our veterans…)
Contact information of organizer for follow up

Please contact our school office directly if you have questions about community services hours and which activities are accepted.

The Ministry of Education requires all secondary school students to complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities a part of the requirements for an OSSD. Students must submit their documentation for 40 hours of community involvement to their Guidance Counsellor so that it can be validated and recorded. Secondary schools will no longer track and collect documentation for the completion of community involvement hours beyond the 40 hours required.

While 40 hours is the required minimum, we recognize that many students choose to go above and beyond this requirement. These additional hours not only reflect a student’s commitment to their community but can also support applications for scholarships/awards, post-secondary opportunities, and job references. To help students keep track of hours completed beyond the 40-hour minimum, they may choose to record them in their Individual Pathways Plan (IPP) Portfolio in their myBlueprint account. This will ensure they have a comprehensive record of their community involvement for future use. myBlueprint provides a sample portfolio and portfolio checklist.

myBlueprint: Portfolio Checklist
myBlueprint: Portfolio Exemplar

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Student Services team.

You can pick up a community service form in student services, or you can download one below:

Community-Involvement-Activity Download

Choose an Eligible Activity

The ministry has developed guidelines about what kinds of activities are eligible. To list a few:

Supports a non-profit organization
Structured programs to promote tutoring, mentoring, coaching whose purpose is to assist others
Promotes environmental awareness
Promotes and contributes to the health and well-being of any group
Affiliated with a club, religious organization, arts or cultural association or political organization that seeks to make a positive contribution in the community
Benefits the community

Examples of Eligible Activities

Fundraising – Walk-A-Thons, wrapping, participating at events
Sports/Recreation: coaching for community organizations, Special Olympics
Community – Helping run events, participating in food drives and support services for community groups, library programs
Religious Organizations – Programming for children, child minding, helping with religious Sunday school, special events and clerical tasks
Seniors’ Programs – Assisting in seniors’ residence or community programs
Youth Programs – Scouts, Girl guides, drop-in centres, breakfast programs, after-school programs, camps
Work with Animals – Helping with animal shelters, horseback riding programs, local zoo or petting zoo
Activities for Individuals – Tutoring, chronic hospital care visits, Best Bubbies programs, working with special needs individuals