Learn from young professionals about careers in Technology and Law. Learn about the journey these two speakers took to achieve their career goals, the decisions they made, and their future career paths.
Attention all high school students! We have an exciting leadership opportunity to share with you! Olympian Sarah Wells and the Believe Initiative team are hosting a FREE virtual conference called EVOLVE 2021 on August 6 & 7 for high schoolers across Canada! During this conference, students will learn valuable skills related to mindset, confidence, entrepreneurship, and networking.
The focus will be on developing elite level leadership and give you the opportunity to hear from Olympic athletes DURING the Summer Olympics, as well as ask questions to industry experts from Sony Music, Twitter, RBC, and more to be announced! They’re expecting close to 5,000 student leaders to attend and spots are limited so sign up now!
You can register for FREE by heading to www.believeinitiative.com/conference! You won’t want to miss this epic virtual event! Sign up today! If you have any questions, please email outreach@believeinitiative.com.
*Note: you will have access to both conference days upon registration*
My name is Rubaina and I am ecstatic to serve as the Chair of Change The World Markham CTWMarkham) for the 2019-2020 year. If you have not heard of CTWMarkham, we are a youth executive team under the Volunteer Markham. Basically, we handle all things volunteerism, from creating our own events, to promoting a wide variety of others’ in the community. More importantly, we want to make sure ALL youth in Markham are connected to meaningful opportunities and educated about community involvement. We are building our team now and we want YOU! (No experience necessary)
High school can be VERY overwhelming. Suddenly, you are supposed to be involved in extracurriculars, take on leadership roles and gain community hours, all while trying to maintain a social life, good mental health, and keep up with academics. I couldn’t believe it. This is why this blog is something I wish I had throughout my high school years.
This blog is a part of CTWMarkham’s newest initiative to bring forward meaningful opportunities and volunteer subjects for students to read about. If you are worried about any of those things above, this is a MUST READ blog for you.
I will be writing on this blog every month. As a Grade 12 student at Markville Secondary School, I can totally relate to many things you may be interested in. Feel free to reach out to me at any time to discuss anything on Facebook or Linkedin(just search my name).
My Message to You
If you are reading this and you know what you love and have a passion for making a change – great. If you have YET TO FIND that one thing that you really just LOVE doing, stay tuned! You might just find it here. My goal is to get you “volinspired”!
I was the latter. I always knew I wanted to do SOMETHING but I never knew what this was or how I could find it. Moreover, I was afraid to approach new opportunities and always underestimated my abilities.
The secret recipe to solving your “uninspiredness”? Trying new things. The minute you step out of your comfort zone and do something you’re afraid of, you begin to grow in ways you couldn’t imagine. Your opportunities start to grow as well.
Trying things is great; I myself participated in numerous clubs, volunteer events, and jobs. I didn’t like all of them, but at least I was gaining experience. Though you will not commit to everything you try, learn from each experience, build connections along the way, and then apply all these things to DO SOMETHING AMAZING. And trust me, you WILL find that thing.
Volunteering, specifically, is a truly unique and rewarding experience. Not only do you become a better person through learning how to help others, but you become a more well rounded and inquisitive learner. You can work, play sports, music, or study, but nothing compares to giving back to the community. Especially in a world where people are increasingly dialed in to their personal day-to-day, it is nice to step out of that bubble and help others. This is why I encourage you all to VOLUNTEER!
So, How Can You Start Volunteering?
My first time volunteering, in grade 9, began when I saw a posting on Facebook for a Halloween event “Spooktacular”. This was a short community event taking place closes by. I had no idea how volunteering worked, how I should go about it, and if I would be a good fit for the job.
However, I knew I needed to complete my community hours sooner or later! So, I grabbed a couple of friends, signed up, and before I knew it, I was having a blast setting up a haunted hours, face painting, and more! It was such a simple experience, but it gave me so much confidence. Not only did I learn to fill out that daunting volunteer form your high school guidance department gives you, but I met some great friends that I still talk to today. That one opportunity actually allowed me to gain a resume experience for future part time jobs and leadership opportunities.
Signing up for a small, short-term opportunity with your friends is an amazing way to ease into things and get your feet off the ground. I am still always on the lookout for any new opportunities, so do not be afraid to get out there and try new things – It is just a great learning experience, and tons of fun!
These are some suggestions to help you get started:
First Time Volunteers
I Just Want to Jump In Now
Lastly, these are some extra opportunities and good links! Many of these organizations host great volunteer or community events. A great way to make sure you are not missing out is by staying connected through their social media.
Some of our event partners:
Really great youth volunteer clubs to look into:
In future posts, I will be discussing and promoting more specific opportunities and topics. Please feel free to message me with any specific volunteer ideas you have, requests for future blog posts, or highlighting some cool volunteering that’s going on in Markham and I would be more than happy to write about them. I look forward to helping you achieve your volunteering goals for the year.
Until next time,
Rubaina Singla
Chair, Change the World Markham
Stay connected with Change The World Markham:
https://www.yrp.ca/en/services/Police-Record-Check-Reform-Act.asp
What is the Police Record Check Reform Act?
The Police Record Check Reform Act was enacted on November 1, 2018. This new legislation ensures a clear, consistent and comprehensive set of standards that govern how police record checks are conducted and disclosed across the province.
The new legislation has standardized the three types of police record checks that can be conducted, while limiting and standardizing the information that is authorized for disclosure. This applies to all record-check providers in Ontario when conducting checks for employment and volunteer positions.
| New Name | |
| Police Criminal Record Check | Criminal Record Check |
| Police Information Check | Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check |
| Police Vulnerable Sector Check | Vulnerable Sector Check |
One of the most significant changes to police record checks in Ontario is the disclosure of youth records. Youth records are only permitted to be disclosed in two circumstances:
Previously, police were able to release a police criminal record check containing youth records directly to the applicant, who in turn would provide the check to the organization to which they were applying. Under the new act, only federal, provincial and municipal government agencies will receive youth records, as police cannot disclose the existence of or any of the information contained within a youth record to non-government agencies. These agencies can no longer request youth records from applicants.
Only government agencies may receive youth records. Government agencies include:
Non government agencies include:
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