ChangeTheWorld: Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge

ChangeTheWorld: Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge is a program to encourage Ontario young people age 14 to 18 to take part in volunteerism. It also helps Ontario high school youth get their 40 hours community service required for graduation^[1].

The Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration began the campaign in 2008 to mark National Volunteer Week. The campaign operates in partnership with the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network^[2].

2010 Campaign

The 2010 campaign started during National Volunteer Week on April 18 and ended on May 9. The campaign’s goal was 10,000 Ontario youth to volunteer for three hours during the campaign. Twenty-one communities participated in 2010, led by local volunteer centres. The 2010 campaign attracted 11,328 young people who volunteered a total of 41,683 hours.

Role of Volunteer Centres

Local volunteer mobilize youth volunteers for the campaign. They do this primarily by outreach to local high schools and to community organizations needing volunteers. Local volunteer centres plan and coordinate youth for and verify each student’s participation so their volunteer hours can count toward their community service.

Campaign Growth

The ChangeTheWorld – Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge has grown every year since its inception. Approximately 900 youth from seven communities participated in 2008. In 2009, approximately 8,500 youth from 19 communities took part. The 2010 goal was 10,000 youth in 21 communities to participate.

Types of Activities

Students participate in many different types of volunteer activities including tree planting, entertaining seniors, trail clean-up, fund-raising, food and clothing drives, fun-runs, community clean-ups, serving at homeless shelters, sewing sleepwear, leading fitness classes for seniors and artifact drives for local museums.

Celebrity Support

Degrassi: The Next Generation, David Suzuki, Rob Dyer (Skate4Cancer), Fefe Dobson, Justin Bieber, Rick Mercer, Craig Kielburger, John Mitchell (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jarrett Jack (Toronto Raptors), Colin Doyle (Toronto Rock), Kevin Weekes, Don Cherry and Ron MacLean.

Participating Communities

2010 Campaign

Alliston, Belleville, Brockville, Burlington, Cambridge, Chatham – Kent, Fort Frances, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Markham, Midland, Mississauga - Brampton – Caledon, Ottawa, Richmond Hill, Sault Ste. Marie, St Catharines, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto

2009 Campaign

Belleville, Burlington, Cambridge, Guelph/Wellington, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener/Waterloo, Larnark-Frontenac-Lennox-Addington, Leeds-Grenville, London, Mississauga-Brampton-Caledon, Ottawa, Richmond Hill, North Simcoe, South Simcoe, St. Catharines, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Windsor West^[3].

2008 Campaign

Timmins, Kingston, Ottawa, Markham, Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo^[4].

References

1. ^ http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/curricul/secondary/oss/oss.pdf
2. ^ http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citizenship/changetheworld/whatis.shtml
3. ^ http://www.news.ontario.ca/mci/en/2009/04/youth-challenged-to-change-the-world.html
4. ^ http://www.news.ontario.ca/mci/en/2008/04/challenging-youth-to-change-the-world.html

External links

• Ontario 2010 Youth Volunteer Challenge Webpage [1]
• National Volunteer Week [2]
• Ontario Volunteer Centre Network [3]
• Volunteer Toronto Youth Portal [4]