1. Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
c/o Volunteer MBC, 7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601
Brampton, ON L6Y 4M3
(905) 238-2622 x228
ctw@ovcn.ca
http://ctw.ovcn.ca/
For Immediate Release July 2, 2013
OVCN smashes ChangeTheWorld record with nearly 38,000 youth volunteers
Ontario youth nearly doubled the volunteer hours goal with 170,000 hours
BRAMPTON, Ont. – The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) wrapped up the 2013
ChangeTheWorld - Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge from April 21 to May 20 and is pleased to
announce the final results. In total, 38,000 youth volunteered in their local communities during the
4-week campaign— surpassing the target of 30,000 volunteers.
“Ontario youth are grasping their future and changing the world for the better through volunteerism,”
said Carine Strong, Steering Committee Chair, Ontario Volunteer Centre Network. “They volunteered
above and beyond the minimum three-hour commitment and helped our network of 23 participating
volunteer centres reach new heights. We greatly value the collective effort and impact of the volunteer
centres, community service organizations, collaborators, as well as youth and community member
engagement who together helped to make this year’s campaign such a success.”
ChangeTheWorld is funded by the Government of Ontario and delivered in partnership with the OVCN.
It is a province-wide campaign for youth aged 14 to 18 years old to volunteer through a wide variety of
local initiatives with one goal, to get high school students to volunteer in their community. Compared to
2012, the OVCN saw a 34 per cent increase in the number of youth volunteers province wide. In 2014,
the ChangeTheWorld initiative will be extended to a 6-week campaign and will launch during National
Volunteer Week, April 6 to 13, through to May 19, 2014.
“I am thrilled to see Ontario youth making positive change in their communities. I’m also proud of the
hard work done by Ontario’s volunteer centres in delivering the most successful ChangeTheWorld
campaign to date.” said the Honourable Michael Coteau, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration. “Volunteerism creates a better quality of life in our communities and fosters future
leaders.”
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2. Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
c/o Volunteer MBC, 7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601
Brampton, ON L6Y 4M3
(905) 238-2622 x228
ctw@ovcn.ca
http://ctw.ovcn.ca/
PAGE 2
In addition to connecting youth to their local volunteer centres, OVCN also mobilized youth to be
creative and design their own volunteer initiatives through the ChangeTheWorld website
http://ctw.ovcn.ca/. This year, youth participated in volunteer activities such as environmental cleanups,
dressed up as zombies for blood donation awareness drives and coordinated numerous fundraisers for
local community service organizations and causes.
“It has been an honour and utmost pleasure to work with our network of volunteer centres,” said Fiona
Yu, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Ontario Volunteer Centre Network. “Our success this
year is the result of their tireless work to engage Ontario youth and instill the importance of
volunteerism.”
The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) is an unincorporated network of 24 volunteer centres in
Ontario, guided by a volunteer steering committee. The mandate of OVCN is to provide a provincial
network and voice to strengthen the individual and collective ability of volunteer centres in Ontario to
promote and develop volunteerism. For more information, please visit www.ovcn.ca.
Media Contact:
Fiona Yu, Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Ontario Volunteer Centre Network, ctw@ovcn.ca
905-238-2622 ext. 228.
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