What is OSSDHub?
OSSDHub is a free directory of verified volunteer opportunities in Oakville and Halton Region, built specifically for Ontario secondary school students who need to complete their 40-hour community involvement requirement to earn their OSSD.
Every listing on this platform is reviewed and tagged with its OSSD eligibility status, Ministry of Education category, and estimated hours, so you can easily filter, find, and reach out to organizations.
OSSDHub is not a volunteer tracker. It doesn't manage your hours, send reminders, or verify completion. It's a discovery tool where you find opportunities, contact the organization directly, do the work, and log your hours with your school the normal way.
The 40-hour requirement, explained
Every student working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) must complete 40 hours of community involvement activities. This is a Ministry of Education graduation requirement, and it's not optional or replaceable with anything else.
The rule: Students must complete 40 hours of unpaid community involvement activities as part of their secondary school diploma requirements. Hours can be accumulated from Grade 9 onward and must be submitted to your school before graduation.
In general, the activities must be unpaid, must not take place within your own household, and must not be a requirement of a class or course. Most activities at registered nonprofits and community organizations automatically qualify.
The Ministry categorises community involvement into seven areas: Environment, Health & Wellness, Heritage & Culture, Sports & Recreation, Emergency Services, Civic & Community, and Other. OSSDHub uses these exact categories on every listing to help you easily find opportunities that match your interests.
Who built this?
OSSDHub is built by one student at one of Oakville's secondary schools who got frustrated trying to find real volunteer opportunities and ended up spending way more time searching than volunteering.
The existing tools, like Volunteer Canada, school bulletin boards, and random Google searches, simply weren't built well enough for students. They don't highlight OSSD eligibility, they don't filter properly, and they weren't designed with someone in Grade 11 and a deadline in mind.
So this one was. It's made specifically for Oakville and Halton, OSSD-focused, and intentionally made simple. You don't need to create an account, your data isn't being tracked or sold, and no unnecessary notifications. We provide a list of opportunities and an easy way to contact the org.
For organizations
If you run a local nonprofit or community organization in Oakville or Halton Region and want to connect with motivated student volunteers, you can submit your organization and volunteer roles for free.
All submissions are manually reviewed before going live. We verify that the activity qualifies under Ontario's community involvement guidelines. Once approved, your listing is visible to students throughout Oakville, Halton, and more.
Learn more →A note on OSSD eligibility
OSSDHub does not guarantee that any listed opportunity will be accepted by your school or the Ontario Ministry of Education. OSSD eligibility is self-reported by the organizations that submit listings — we review submissions for obvious red flags, but we are not the Ministry and cannot make binding determinations on your behalf.
Before committing your time to any opportunity, confirm with your guidance counselor that the activity qualifies. This takes one email and can save you a lot of frustration later.
Contact
For questions about listings, OSSD eligibility, or the platform generally, please email support@ossdhub.ca.
Response time is typically within a few days. This is a solo student project, not a company, so please allow some time for a response. If you have feedback or suggestions for the platform, please don't hesitate to reach out!