High School-Community Hours.

[Disney Ontario]

Hi. I was just wandering if anyone has high school teens that have done or know what they are to do for community hours? DD15 wants to get hers done but does not want to go work with strangers.:confused3 What can she do?

[koobs]

I don't know where you are but my daughter got most of her hours volunteering at school events. For example every April they have a cancer drive and groups of kids go door to door collecting donations. She got a bunch of hours for that. My daughter and son both volunteered at the National Capital Marathon. This was arranged through the school so they got to do it with friends. I think they got about 8 to 10 hours for that one. I think there were other events as well such as tree planting. Tell your daughter to keep her eyes and ears open for things going on at school. They are usually one or two times a year events but it adds up over the years and you get to be with friends.

[Jenroc]

HI !!

I started a kids' conservation group and my son(13), daughter(9) and my daycare kids are well on their way to getting used to doing their hours through tons of great environmental/animal group in Canada and the US. I can give you tons of ideas if you PM me ..... the list is too long to type here. Hope this helps !! :flower3:

PS I am just down the 401 from you -- in London !

[eng girl]

If she likes working with children the Girl Guides usually always needs volunteers. Try girlguides.ca under volunteers. She will probably have fun at the same time.

[DearDaisyinDurham]

My 3 teens all did different things.

One (son) did a dinner for families at the Ronald McDonald House. That included getting all of the items, taking them there, cooking the dinner, serving it, clean up, etc. That was fun and the families loved it.

One (daughter) did a "baby shower" for a women's shelter. Gathered new, donated items, portable crib, filled it w/ packaged disposable diapers, bottles, baby clothes, etc. Very well receieved and she helped at the shelter w/ child care too.

Other daughter did an animal care project at the Humane Society. They always need people to help, at least where we are.

Other ideas would be local "walks" - lots of groups have "Walks" for fundraisers and it's a fairly simple one day project to help with for teens.
HTH! It's more interesting for them if they can use their interests.

[damo]

My son did some volunteer coaching. There are usually lots of volunteer groups at the schools that can advise on this as well.

[MaryannF]

Your daughter should check to see if volunteering in the school library is an option. My dd helped with an inventory of the library as well as shelving books a few times a week. Over the course of 4 years the time adds up. Just make sure that she is diligent in keeping the necessary records and getting the required signatures.
DD also volunteered to help coach an elementary school swim team. It was great fun for her as she loves to swim. The elementary school was the school she went to so a lot of the kids remembered her and liked that she was in the water showing them how to compete.
When she was in grade 9 she found out that the student council organized a few fundraisers a year. She volunteered to help out with the food and warm clothing drive at Christmas time.
The guidance department should have a list of volunteer jobs that are considered acceptable.

[SherylWrites]

She might also go back to her elementary school and assist there in whatever capacity they need her. She'd be with people she knows and still be providing a valuable service!

[bookbabe_disneynut]

The biggest things to keep in mind that the hours can't be done during class time (ie. during the regular school day, other than at lunch or after school) and that you can't volunteer for a relative (ie. babysitting your younger siblings or cousins, etc.). You also can't count anything that also results in a credit (ie. co-op) or anything for which you receive pay or that a paid employee would normally do.

There are lots of options, though. Your school's guidance office should have a record log booklet that your DD can pick up. I think there's a list of suggestions on the back of it. They also usually have a ton of opportunities posted on the bulletin boards there. The office is still likely open this week, depending on your school.

One suggestion, if she doesn't want to go on her own, is to make it a family event. Pick somewhere that needs lots of volunteers, like a food bank or a charity fundraiser or marathon or something, and go as a whole family to help out. That way, she's not alone with strangers, and still gets her hours. Or if the whole family can't go, does she have a cousin or close friend that also needs their hours? Maybe they could go together to something like that?

If she does end up on her own, the idea of something like the humane society is a good one. They usually need dog-walkers, and that's something where you're not really with the people there, you're outside with the dogs. :goodvibes Your local public library probably also has kids' summer reading programs, and they often need older students to help younger ones with their reading...that's strange kids, rather than adults, so it might be less intimidating. Or, if you belong to a church or community group of some kind, they may have a need for volunteers, and that way, it's people she'll at least know in passing from other functions she's attended.

[damo]

Teachers will often give volunteer hours if you help them out doing things that cut into your school time. My son did a lot of setting up of audio-video equipment at school for assemblies and such and got credited volunteer hours for that.

[tigercat]

I am one of the "strangers" that use students and give them volunteer hours. I am the kitchen manager and volunteer co-ordinator for a organization that arranges concerts throughtout the year. There is usually about 7 of them in a year. They get about 3 1/2 hrs per concert. I have students that start with me from Grade 9 and stay till Grade 12. They get their hours but still come and volunteer. If parents want to they can come and meet me and I will give them some time before the concerts starts. I try to take care of the kids that come especially since one of the kids there is my dgrdd who has been volunteering since she was 9 and is now 14 and headed to hs.

[tigercat]

I am one of the "strangers" that use students and give them volunteer hours. I am the kitchen manager and volunteer co-ordinator for a organization that arranges concerts throughtout the year. There is usually about 7 of them in a year. They get about 3 1/2 hrs per concert. I have students that start with me from Grade 9 and stay till Grade 12. They get their hours but still come and volunteer. If parents want to they can come and meet me and I will give them some time before the concerts starts. I try to take care of the kids that come especially since one of the kids there is my dgrdd who has been volunteering since she was 9 and is now 14 and headed to hs.
tigercat

[sk8jdgca]

Check with your local figure skating club-Each area in Western Ontario runs 2 competitions each year and each club is responsible for so many volunteer hours. It is a fun thing to do!

[ottawamom]

Don't know if you have younger siblings in the family. Our oldest son volunteered with his younger siblings baseball team this spring. The hours added up quickly with two games per week. Your local community center may need extra help coaching a just for fun summer sports league.

[tinytink22]

I graduated last June and I got a lot of my hours at my old public school I always had a few days off during exams and thats when I would go I also went at the end of the year and helped with the grade 8 graduation

[duckylady]

I'm 15 and I do my volunteer hours at the tobacco museum in Delhi, Ontario and at a vet clinic. There are possibilities everywhere to volunteer, all you really have to do is ask. (:

[iluveeyore]

My son just graduated and was 6 hours short the week before end of the year - was able to do yard work for his grandpa after school (any work not using any type of machinary - pulling weeds, planting, raking, etc) - got a note signed for his six hours' work, and he graduated! His other hours were from volunteer coaching at his old elementary school back in grade 9 and 10 for the basketball and soccer teams.

[disneymath]

My son just graduated and was 6 hours short the week before end of the year - was able to do yard work for his grandpa after school (any work not using any type of machinary - pulling weeds, planting, raking, etc) - got a note signed for his six hours' work, and he graduated!

Just to reiterate a pp ..., volunteer hours can't be counted if the work is done for a family member, if it is done during the regular school day, or if it is work that an employee would normally be paid a wage for doing.

I know at the high school where I teach, the work for the grandfather would not have counted ...

(BTW, the guidance department would have bent over backward to help the student find a suitable 6-hours to ensure that he could graduate.)

There are tonnes of great suggestion in here ... and you can always check with your daughter's high school for more suggestions.

Three other pieces of advice:
1. Get your forms filled in/hours documented!
2. Get the 40 hours over with asap! Preferably before Grade 12.
3. Do more than the 40 hours, many scholarships and bursaries have community involvement as a major part of the criteria!

[maryliz]

Do you or family members belong to a church or similar organization? We LOVE it when HS students come and help us out at dinners, garage sales, etc. It's nice when younger people can be taking stuff up and down the stairs. And definitely check with their old public school. We had some HS students come back and help at our recent Spring Fling ... they helped with garbage, serving food, did their time in the dunk tank ;) then helped us haul the tables and chairs back into the school. :thumbsup2

[bookbabe_disneynut]

I know at the high school where I teach, the work for the grandfather would not have counted ...

It wouldn't have counted at mine either. :confused3 However, I can guess what's happened...either iluveeyore's DS found a guidance counselor who's a soft touch and bent the rules, or whoever it was didn't realize it was a relative for whatever reason. I know doing chores and yard work for seniors counts, it's just that it's supposed to be for unrelated seniors.

iluveeyore, I'd probably keep it a bit quiet that the rules got bent...you never know who might get their shorts in a knot about it and try to cause problems...

[MaryannF]

It wouldn't have counted at mine either. :confused3 However, I can guess what's happened...either iluveeyore's DS found a guidance counselor who's a soft touch and bent the rules, or whoever it was didn't realize it was a relative for whatever reason. I know doing chores and yard work for seniors counts, it's just that it's supposed to be for unrelated seniors.

iluveeyore, I'd probably keep it a bit quiet that the rules got bent...you never know who might get their shorts in a knot about it and try to cause problems...

Nowhere in the TDSB Community Involvement Manual does it state that the volunteer work cannot be done for a relative. It would be up to individual schools to make those determinations.
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/124a.html
The Ministry list of ineligible activities also makes no mention of working for relatives.

[disneymath]

Nowhere in the TDSB Community Involvement Manual does it state that the volunteer work cannot be done for a relative. It would be up to individual schools to make those determinations.
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/124a.html
The Ministry list of ineligible activities also makes no mention of working for relatives.

As outlined in the document linked above, School Boards (not individual schools) can add ineligible activities on top of the Ministry's list. The Ministry's list of ineligible activities does specifically mention that an ineligble activity is one that "consists of duties normally performed in the home (i.e., daily chores)..."

Some, but maybe not all, Boards interpret this to mean that work done for a relative is ineligible. I know in our board it is considered ineligible since it is reasonable to expect family members to help each other out as needed. (Yard work for elderly persons or people in poor health is fine as long as they are not relatives of the students.)

I would check with your school board to determine whether or not work for extended family members is eligible.

[iluveeyore]

It wouldn't have counted at mine either. :confused3 However, I can guess what's happened...either iluveeyore's DS found a guidance counselor who's a soft touch and bent the rules, or whoever it was didn't realize it was a relative for whatever reason. I know doing chores and yard work for seniors counts, it's just that it's supposed to be for unrelated seniors.

iluveeyore, I'd probably keep it a bit quiet that the rules got bent...you never know who might get their shorts in a knot about it and try to cause problems...

Just to verify, the rules did not get 'bent' for my son, as the guidance counselor I spoke to was told he did work for his grandfather (he's only been at this school for a year and does not know the guidance counselor) - I was told as long as it was after school and he was not paid for it, it did not matter that it was a relative. And it was not 'normal' chores, as he did landscaping in all the flower beds, trimmed trees and shrubs, raked a 50' x 200' lot, and levelled gravel in the driveway. The note submitted was handwritten by his grandpa stating it was his grandson and his name is the same.

So I am not worried about anyone getting 'their shorts in a knot' - several of my son's classmates did work for a relative's business or did yard work for grandparents to earn their hours. :goodvibes

[DisneyFreak06]

A friend of mine volunteered as a youth choir director at church. Each hour for rehearsal or for Mass counted.

[disneymath]

Just to verify, the rules did not get 'bent' for my son, as the guidance counselor I spoke to was told he did work for his grandfather (he's only been at this school for a year and does not know the guidance counselor) - I was told as long as it was after school and he was not paid for it, it did not matter that it was a relative. And it was not 'normal' chores, as he did landscaping in all the flower beds, trimmed trees and shrubs, raked a 50' x 200' lot, and levelled gravel in the driveway. The note submitted was handwritten by his grandpa stating it was his grandson and his name is the same.

So I am not worried about anyone getting 'their shorts in a knot' - several of my son's classmates did work for a relative's business or did yard work for grandparents to earn their hours. :goodvibes

Iluveeyore ... I am glad things worked out for your son. :goodvibes

In general though, I just want to (again) point out that some Boards consider work for relatives as being ineligible. Other boards might say that the extent of work that your son did for his grandfather was ineligible because it was the type of work that a professional landscaper would normally be paid to do. It all depends on how individual school boards have chosen to interpret things.

To those with students in Ontario who still need to complete community hours to graduate, I would recommend looking for volunteer opportunities in the larger community. There are so many opportunities for volunteer work with various not-for-profit organizations that it is very easy for students to earn their 40 hours. Our school routinely has students who complete 100s of hours by the end of their four years.

I think the whole point of the community involvement graduation requirement is to expose students to the idea of giving back to their communities ... it's not about getting your 40 hours and never volunteering again. The 40 hour requirement gives students a reason to find causes that they feel are worthwhile of their support. For many students, once they start volunteering, they continue to do so in some form or another for the rest of their lives.

[iluveeyore]

Iluveeyore ... I am glad things worked out for your son. :goodvibes

In general though, I just want to (again) point out that some Boards consider work for relatives as being ineligible. Other boards might say that the extent of work that your son did for his grandfather was ineligible because it was the type of work that a professional landscaper would normally be paid to do. It all depends on how individual school boards have chosen to interpret things.

To those with students in Ontario who still need to complete community hours to graduate, I would recommend looking for volunteer opportunities in the larger community. There are so many opportunities for volunteer work with various not-for-profit organizations that it is very easy for students to earn their 40 hours. Our school routinely has students who complete 100s of hours by the end of their four years.

I think the whole point of the community involvement graduation requirement is to expose students to the idea of giving back to their communities ... it's not about getting your 40 hours and never volunteering again. The 40 hour requirement gives students a reason to find causes that they feel are worthwhile of their support. For many students, once they start volunteering, they continue to do so in some form or another for the rest of their lives.

I agree about the 'giving back to community' - my son thought he had all his hours submitted from volunteer coaching but found out he was short - make sure all your teens keep track of their hours as sometimes the schools do not record sheets handed in properly and then they get 'lost':confused:
He had planned on volunteering at our local Humane Society, (which my daughter plans to do for her hours next year in grade 9), but he thought he already had his hours, thus the reason for last minute helping grandpa.

Good luck to all our teens, and I hope they take something valuable away to apply later in life.:)

[disneymath]

I agree about the 'giving back to community' - my son thought he had all his hours submitted from volunteer coaching but found out he was short - make sure all your teens keep track of their hours as sometimes the schools do not record sheets handed in properly and then they get 'lost':confused:
He had planned on volunteering at our local Humane Society, (which my daughter plans to do for her hours next year in grade 9), but he thought he already had his hours, thus the reason for last minute helping grandpa.

iluveeyore ... I couldn't have said it better myself ... track your hours dilligently!!

I truly am glad that your son was able to get his last few hours in the nick of time. We actually had a student not graduate this year because he was short 10 hours and wasn't interested in any of the "last minute" opportunities that guidance offered to set up for him.

[iluveeyore]

iluveeyore ... I couldn't have said it better myself ... track your hours dilligently!!

I truly am glad that your son was able to get his last few hours in the nick of time. We actually had a student not graduate this year because he was short 10 hours and wasn't interested in any of the "last minute" opportunities that guidance offered to set up for him.

Thanks Disneymath - see you are going to AKL - enjoy!!! We just spent a week at the AKV in a savannah studio in May and loved it.
That's too bad about the student not graduating - bet his parents aren't happy!

[Debbie]

I agree about the 'giving back to community' - my son thought he had all his hours submitted from volunteer coaching but found out he was short - make sure all your teens keep track of their hours as sometimes the schools do not record sheets handed in properly and then they get 'lost':confused:

Yeah, my son handed his into the guidance office, and was supposed to hand it in to the main office, and, yes, it got lost. Luckily, we had photocopied it. DD has just a few hours left, and I've encouraged her to get extra, but . . . (she's done extra, too-didn't get the form signed.:rolleyes: )

[disneymath]

Thanks Disneymath - see you are going to AKL - enjoy!!! We just spent a week at the AKV in a savannah studio in May and loved it.
That's too bad about the student not graduating - bet his parents aren't happy!

No, I bet they weren't!!

Glad to hear you enjoyed AKV ... thanks for the good wishes ... we can't wait to get back to WDW! :yay:

[nat1234]

My daughter was able to get her hours in by volunteering with a local Brownie group, helping at the SPCA in the small animal room (you have to be sixteen to be a dog walker here), and by helping at cub camp in the summer. My son volunteers as a junior cub leader in his old cub group. If your daughter likes kids and is into sports, they are always looking for people to help coach little kids soccer teams. Local hospitals are always looking for volunteers as well. Good luck to your daughter, I'm sure she'll find something that she really enjoys doing to get the hours that she needs.