“…It is your world and future that are at stake. By volunteering, young people can take an active part in working towards a sustainable future.”  - David Suzuki

Without volunteers, our community might not be the way it is today. Our trails might be littered with garbage and waste, the Canadian Cancer Society would not be able to raise money for lifesaving cancer research, the Red Cross might not be able to train disaster relief workers, and the homeless might have no place to eat or sleep.

I volunteer for many reasons, but the most important is knowing that it is the best way to give back to a community which has given so much to everybody, including myself.

My name is Jonathan Hesler, and having received the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers, I can tell you that volunteering is an important part of my life, and also the lives of many others.

In today’s day and age, young people are constantly on the go. iPods, Xbox, cell phones, video games and computers are just some of the activities which consume most teenagers’ daily lives. When I was a teenager myself, I found that my time was better spent helping others through volunteering my time.

ChangeTheWorld: Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge is a campaign, led by the Ontario government. It aims to get youth aged 14-18 involved in volunteerism. I am a member of its provincial Youth Advisory Committee, working to promote and engage my peers in volunteering. The challenge is in its third year, and we are very happy to bring this challenge to Greater Sudbury with the assistance of Volunteer Sudbury.

Our campaign goal is simple. We’re asking youth to commit to volunteering at least three hours during the campaign: April 18 – May 9. There are many community projects to choose from, such as cleaning up Junction Creek or volunteering at the Elgin Street Mission. For a list of volunteer opportunities, please contact Volunteer Sudbury/Bénévolat Sudbury.

To date, seven area high schools in the Greater Sudbury area will be participating in this year’s challenge: Lasalle Secondary School, École secondaire catholique l’Horizon, St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, Lockerby Composite School, École secondaire catholique du Sacre Coeur, Loellen Park Secondary School, and École secondaire Macdonald-Cartier. Other local area high schools have expressed interest and are expected to participate in the challenge.

After the challenge, participants will receive an official certificate from Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, recognizing their time contributed towards the province-wide ChangeTheWorld campaign.

Also, participants will feel the satisfaction of knowing how special volunteering for someone or something can be. On behalf of the ChangeTheWorld campaign, I encourage all young people to get out into their communities and volunteer. Together, we can make a difference. What are you waiting for?

If you and/or your school would like to participate, or you want more information, please contact Volunteer
Sudbury/Bénévolat Sudbury at 705 560 6661, by e-mail at changetheworld@volunteersudbury.com, or on Facebook by searching Volunteer Sudbury. You can also check out ChangeTheWorld on the web, along with many celebrities involved in the campaign at www.ontario.ca/changetheworld.

Jonathan Hesler, originally from Hamilton, Ont., is a student in Cambrian College’s paramedic program. He sits on the youth advisory committee of the province’s ChangeTheWorld: Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge program.