The memorandum announces the eighth annual ChangeTheWorld - Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge taking place from April 12 to May 24. The six-week campaign promotes youth volunteerism among high school students aged 14 to 18 across Ontario. Last year, close to 40,000 youth volunteered over 210,000 hours working with schools, local Volunteer Centres, and community organizations. Guidance counsellors are encouraged to promote the campaign and direct interested students to the website to find volunteer opportunities in their communities and contribute to the 40 community involvement hours required for an Ontario high school diploma.

1. MEMORANDUM TO: Secondary School Guidance Counsellors and Career Educators across Ontario
FROM: Joanne Brown
President
Ontario School Counsellors’ Association
PO Box 60
Hillsburgh, ON
N0B 1Z0
www.osca.ca
Carine Strong
Chair
Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
c/o Volunteer MBC
7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601
Brampton, ON
L6Y 4M3
(905) 238-2622
www.ovcn.ca
DATE: January 8th
2015
SUBJECT: 2015 ChangeTheWorld – Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge
______________________________________________________________________
From April 12 to May 24, the eighth annual ChangeTheWorld - Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge is
being held across the province. This is a six-week campaign promoting youth volunteerism among
Ontario’s high school students.
ChangeTheWorld is delivered through a partnership between the Government of Ontario and the Ontario
Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN). Since 2008, more than 140,000 young people have volunteered over
643,000 hours through this campaign.
ChangeTheWorld challenges high school students all across Ontario aged 14 to 18 to volunteer a
minimum of three hours over six weeks. Participation in this campaign is open to all secondary school
students across the province and contributes to the 40-community involvement hours required to obtain
an Ontario high school diploma.
Last year, close to 40,000 youth volunteered a record of 210,000 hours, working with their schools, local
Volunteer Centres and community service organizations. As in previous years, the OVCN along with 23

2. Volunteer Centres representing communities across Ontario will be providing guidance, resources, and
hands-on assistance to school staff and their students in creating or participating in enjoyable and
memorable volunteer experiences.
As the guidance and career educators of your schools, you can be the ambassadors to help promote the
ChangeTheWorld campaign by encouraging students to participate. Our youth are increasingly seeking
opportunities to improve their local communities by giving their time, skills and talents as volunteers for
causes they deem important. This campaign is the perfect tool that helps students find their passion and
develop essential skills for their future careers.
If your school is interested in participating in volunteer events during ChangeTheWorld, visit ctw.ovcn.ca
for more information. We would be delighted if you could share this information with your school staff,
faculty and student councils and/or groups, to make them aware of the many events taking place in their
communities.
In the meantime, please remember that Volunteer Centres across Ontario are here to help your students
find volunteer opportunities year-round. To remove the burden from your plates, you can simply direct
them to ctw.ovcn.ca; and there they can locate and contact the closest Volunteer Centre to them.
Sincerely,
Joanne Brown Carine Strong