Give Local BC volunteer directory

For students

Volunteering for grad hours & applications

If a teacher or counsellor sent you here, or you’re staring down a deadline: this page has the facts, then points you straight to opportunities that take volunteers under 18.

See opportunities good for teens

The BC graduation requirement: 30 hours

To graduate from a BC high school, you must complete at least 30 hours of volunteer service or paid work. It’s part of Career Life Connections (CLC), a required course in Grades 10–12, and it’s a BC Ministry of Education graduation requirement — not something an individual university invented.

The hours can be volunteering, a part-time job, or a mix. They’re usually connected to your Capstone project and a short reflection on what you learned about yourself and possible careers.

Give Local doesn’t track or certify your hours. Your school does that. What schools typically ask you to hand in is a log — the dates you volunteered, the number of hours, the organization’s name, and a supervisor’s signature or a short letter on the organization’s letterhead. The exact form and process vary by school district, so check your own school’s instructions (ask your CLC teacher or counsellor) before you start counting.

This is a high-school rule, not a university admission rule

Canadian universities and colleges generally do not require a verified volunteer-hour count to admit you the way some US schools do. You won’t usually be asked to prove “X hours” on an application.

Volunteering still matters for admissions and money, though:

So: do the 30 hours because you need them to graduate. Do more because it’s useful and it matters — not because a university is counting.

Picking something that actually works for you

Check the age rules first

Many organizations set a minimum age — commonly 14, 15 or 16 depending on the role — and some require a parent or guardian to sign a consent form or, for younger volunteers, to come along. On Give Local, use the Good for teens toggle, then confirm the specifics on the organization’s own page, because rules differ by role.

“Drop-in” vs. “ongoing” — and what it means for logging hours

Drop-in / one-time roles (a shoreline cleanup, a food-bank sorting shift, a festival) let you rack up hours in a few concentrated sessions. Good if you’re close to a deadline. Ask the supervisor to sign your log on the day.

Ongoing / weekly roles (tutoring, mentoring, a regular shelter shift) usually ask for a commitment of several months. They add up more slowly but give you a stronger reference and a better story.

Ask for your hour-verification letter before you start

Don’t leave it to the end. When you first contact an organization, ask: “Can you sign off on volunteer hours for my school requirement, and what do you need from me?” Some places have a form ready; others need a few days’ notice. On each Give Local profile we note whether the organization has told us it will provide a signed letter — but always confirm directly.

A simple hour log works. Keep a running note: date, start and end time, total hours, organization, what you did, and a space for a supervisor signature or initials. Bring it every time. Your school may have its own template — use that if so.

Good first options in BC

These organizations run programs used to working with students, or have a dedicated youth stream:

Give Local is an independent directory. We’re not affiliated with the BC Ministry of Education or your school district, and this page is general information — your school’s instructions always win. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.