OCV Secondary

Community Involvement Graduation Requirement

 

For the 2020-21 school year, the ministry is revising the 40-hour community involvement graduation requirement so that students will not be adversely impacted by the ongoing challenges related to COVID-19.

For students graduating in the 2020-21 school year, the community involvement graduation requirement will be reduced to a minimum of 20 hours of community involvement activities. This recognizes that graduating students have had barriers to earning their community involvement hours last school year and there may be continued barriers this school year.

Please consult the district website for suggested volunteer activities and information on how students can submit Community Involvement Hours. Students should continue to seek out and accumulate community involvement hours in accordance with school board policies and procedures, keeping in mind local public health unit recommendations.

In addition, the Ministry is providing increased flexibility in regard to how secondary students can earn hours in 2020-21, as follows:

1. As per Ministry direction, at the principal’s discretion, students may complete volunteer hours during the instructional day and may claim hours for duties normally completed at home (i.e. walking a younger sibling to or from school, helping younger siblings with school work).
   
   

2. Students aged 14 years and older can count up to a maximum of 10 hours from paid employment towards their earned hours at the discretion of the principal. Students counting paid employment towards their graduation requirement will be required to complete a reflection exercise indicating how their work contributed to the service for others. 

 

Submitting your volunteer hours:

Please remember to seek your Principal's approval before beginning any community involvement activity that you wish to use for the Community Involvement hours required for your OSSD. OCDSB is currently asking students to submit their hours using this Google Form.  Enter your HOME SCHOOL when submitting the form. This Google form requires the same information as the traditional paper form. Volunteer supervisors may be contacted to verify the hours in place of the signature that is required on the paper form.

 

 

RESOURCES FOR POTENTIAL GRADUATES

College and University Programs in Canada:

http://www.ontariocolleges.ca

http://www.ouac.on.ca

http://www.schoolfinder.com

Community Service Opportunities:

• City of Ottawa Volunteering
  http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/get-know-your-city/volunteering

• Volunteer Ottawa
  https://www.volunteerottawa.ca/

• Canadian Volunteer Association
  https://volunteer.ca/

Student Loans, Awards and Grants:

• Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)
  https://www.ontario.ca/page/learn-about-osap

• Scholarships Canada
  http://www.scholarshipscanada.com/

• Student Awards
  http://studentawards.com

• Individual College or University Website

Other Important Information:

• Ontario Colleges (OCAS) – Equal Consideration Deadline is February 1, 2021. Application fee is $95 for your first five choices, no more than 3 at any one college.

• Ontario Universities (OUAC) – Application Deadline is January 15, 2021. Application fee is $150 for your first three choices, $50 for each additional choice.

 

Scholarships, Awards, Grants and Loans

SCHOLARSHIPS CANADA
www.ScholarshipsCanada.com

YCONIC STUDENT AWARDS
http://StudentAwards.com

SCHOOL FINDER
www.SchoolFinder.com

CAMPUS ACCESS
www.CampusAccess.com

ONTARIO UNIVERSITY APPLICATION CENTRE
https://www.ouac.on.ca/faq/what-about-scholarships/

ELECTRONIC INFO
www.ElectronicInfo.ca (search individual Ontario University Scholarships)

ONTARIO COLLEGE APPLICATION SERVICE
www.OntarioColleges.ca

DATABASE OF LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS & BURSARIES
https://sites.google.com/site/ridgemontscholarships/

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA - Education planning and student aid
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/education.html

SCHOLAR TREE – Free database that matches students to applicable scholarships
https://scholartree.ca

CANLEARN
www.CanLearn.ca

ONTARIO COLLEGES
http://www.Ontario.ca/education-and-training/student-loans-grants-scholarships-and-bursaries

ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES OF CANADA
http://www.UniversityStudy.ca

SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
http://www.ldao.ca/ldadhd-resources/scholarships-and-bursaries

LORAN SCHOLARSHIP
www.LoranScholar.ca

SCHULIC LEADER SCHOLARSHIPS
http://www.SchulichLeaders.com

TD SCHOLARSHIP for Community Leadership
https://www.td.com/ca/en/personal-banking/solutions/student-advice/how-to-apply-for-td-scholarships/

RBC Royal Bank Scholarships
https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/scholarships.html

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF OTTAWA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS
https://www.bgcottawa.org/child-youth-programs/education/scholarships (for current members and/or volunteers)

KINSMEN BURSARIES
http://www.kincanada.ca/bursaries

GOOGLE SEARCH – key words: Scholarship, city, province, university or college name, organizations related to your family.