1. Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
c/o Volunteer MBC, 7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601
Brampton, ON L6Y 4M3
(905) 238-2622 x229
ovcn@volunteermbc.org
www.ovcn.ca
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ontario Youth Break Record
and Change the World
June 28, 2012 – Ontario – As announced last week by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
(http://bit.ly/MmkmgW), all previous records have been exceeded in the 2012 ChangeTheWorld - Ontario Youth
Volunteer Challenge. This year, 28,000 high school students from across the province contributed an outstanding
124,000 volunteer hours during the 3-week campaign which ran from April 15 through to May 6. This represented
an 87.4% increase of youth volunteer participants from the previous year, and an increase of 77.2% volunteer
hours.
“25 Ontario Volunteer Centres and community organizations participated in ChangeTheWorld this year and the
results were incredible,” stated Carine Strong, Chair of the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network. “The results show
that youth volunteerism continues to grow strong in the province of Ontario.”
Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, in partnership with the Ontario Volunteer Centre
Network, the campaign’s goal is simple; to engage youth all across Ontario for at least 3 hours each in voluntary
commitments over 3 weeks.
This year’s campaign kicked off during National Volunteer Week and the stories that have emerged from this
year’s participants are incredible. Community Reach North Simcoe put together the Sewing Project, where
students knit PJ’s to be delivered to a local women’s shelter. Volunteer Chatham-Kent organized a letter writing
campaign where youth sent their gratitude and well wishes to soldiers in Afghanistan. In Brampton, Volunteer
MBC held a charity soccer match, where team jerseys, with a brazen ChangeTheWorld logo on the front, were
signed by players with inspirational messages and sent along with donated sports apparel and equipment to an
orphanage in Ghana.
“Congratulations to the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network for making this year’s ChangeTheWorld campaign a
great success,” stated Hon. Charles Sousa, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. “Through hands-on
experience, Ontario’s young volunteers are playing a key role in improving all our lives.”
#

2. Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
c/o Volunteer MBC, 7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601
Brampton, ON L6Y 4M3
(905) 238-2622 x229
ovcn@volunteermbc.org
www.ovcn.ca
The 2012 ChangeTheWorld campaign marked its 5th year and provides Ontario youth with the opportunity to be
part of changing what they wish to see in their world and in their local communities. This year, more than 450
communities were involved, and included over 300 schools from close to 60 different school boards.
The Ontario Volunteer Centre Network (OVCN) is an unincorporated network of 23 volunteer centres in Ontario,
guided by a volunteer steering committee. For more information about the OVCN or to search for a volunteer
centre in your community, please visit www.ovcn.ca.
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For more information and media inquiries, please contact:
Armin Forouzan
Communications and Outreach Coordinator - ChangeTheWorld
Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
P: 905.238.2622 ext. 228
E: ctw2012@volunteermbc.org
Manon Germain
Network Coordinator
Ontario Volunteer Centre Network
P: 905.238.2622 ext. 229
E: ovcn@volunteermbc.org