With the home stretch in sight for the academic year, a provincial program is hoping to tap into a last burst of youthful energy and encourage young people to put in time as volunteers. The provincial Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration is sponsoring a program ambitiously named Change The World, as part of its own Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge.
Dr. Eric Hoskins is head of the ministry, and describes the program as “almost an experiment” that began three years ago and attracted less than a thousand students. The target this year is 10,000, which isn’t entirely improbable as high school students in the province are obliged to complete 40 hours of volunteer work to get their diploma.
“The idea behind that was to help students develop an awareness and a better understanding of their civic responsibility,” Hoskins said. “It was not to add another layer of responsibility to students’ busy schedules.”
To make it easier for students to find organizations in need of their time and talents, the province has relied on their Volunteer Ontario centres — a network of 25 facilities around the province that is acting as a middleman, reaching out to clients in need of warm bodies and busy hands, and matching them up with students with time to give.
Deborah Gardner is the executive director of Volunteer Toronto and she says the biggest challenge is overcoming the lack of experience, both first- and second-hand, that young people might have had with giving their time.
“For young people the barrier is that if their parents haven’t volunteered, or if it isn’t part of their family culture, where do they start? It seems like a huge task, but if you break it down and start with the Youth Challenge, just dipping your toe in the water, it’s a way of helping young people see that they can do it.”
‘It’s really about getting started’
Danny Fee is a York University student who began volunteering in grade 10. He received the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers and sits on the Youth Advisory committee for the Ministry.
What’s the hardest thing about getting teens to volunteer?
“It’s really about getting started with the volunteer hours. I think a lot of students don’t really complete their hours until the latter part of high school, grade 11 or 12 because they don’t see the benefits of volunteering. It’s about getting started, getting inspired, and that’s why I’m involved, to share my experiences with younger people, and get them started off on their volunteer journeys, to see how it can help you or open doors for you.”
Where do you see this going for you?
“I want to be a teacher. I think teachers have a huge influence on young people — I want the next generation of young people to be ready for the real world, to get involved and make a difference.
What advice would you give to someone just starting the program this year?
“I would say just see what your passion is — what assets you have, what skills you have, and get started early. Try different things — I’ve taken pretty much every opportunity that’s been place in my hands, and I don’t regret any of the things I’ve been presented, but if you don’t like something, change it up. I’ve had great mentors and (they) gave their time to help me establish who I am today, and that’s why I volunteer.”
Correction – April 20, 2010, 2:15 p.m. EST: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Tre Armstrong, at far left in the above photo, as Tre Anthony. It has since been corrected.
