2 of 13

20 Reasons to Volunteer

Help others
Make a difference
Find purpose
Enjoy a meaningful conversation
Connect with your community
Feel involved
Contribute to a cause that you care about
Use your skills in a productive way
Develop new skills
Meet new people

Impress yourself
Expand your horizons
Get out of the house
Make new friends
Strengthen your resume
Feel better about yourself
Explore new areas of interest
Check out career opportunities
Collect hours towards bursaries
Valuable experience for applications and interviews.

Adapted from: https://www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/resources/tipstricks.jsp

3 of 13

What is the Community Service Bursary and who is eligible?

The Community Service Bursary program provides PEI high school students with an opportunity to help pay for a portion of their post-secondary education through volunteering in their community. This bursary is administered by Student Financial Services with the Department of Education & Lifelong Learning (NOT TOSH).

All PEI residents, who are also a Canadian or permanent resident, who attend a PEI high school, and who volunteer with a registered volunteer organization are eligible for the Community Service Bursary.

4 of 13

How does CSB work?

Grade 10, 11 or 12 students planning to attend any post-secondary institution can accumulate hours.
Volunteer hours can be accumulated from the completion of Grade 9 (July 1) until June 30 of your Grade 12 year.
The bursary is calculated at a rate of $10 per volunteer hour. Students must complete a minimum of 30 hours to receive the bursary and the bursary is capped at a maximum of 150 hours (It ranges from $300 to $1,500).
Volunteering must be done through an organization registered with the Community Services program.
Your volunteering should not be part of hours required for academic studies
You can volunteer at multiple organizations to collect hours.

5 of 13

Where do I find EVERYTHING I need to know?

See: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/workforce-and-advanced-learning/community-service-bursary

OR Google: Community Service Bursary PEI.

6 of 13

What do I do?

STEP 1: Register

Students can register online at any time after they complete grade 9. Generally, most students register prior to beginning their volunteer work.

You must provide all requested information in the online form (Note that you need your Social Insurance Number).

Students should not use their high school (.edu) email on the registration form because this email expires after their graduation from high school. Their office continues to contact students for information up until the bursary is issued in November.

7 of 13

What do I do?

STEP 2: Find a Volunteer Opportunity with Registered Organizations

There is a list of registered organizations online.

After high school graduation, students should contact their volunteer organization(s) to ensure they have submitted their volunteer hours.

8 of 13

What do I do?

STEP 3: Complete the Post-Secondary Information Form

Once students decide which post-secondary institution they will be attending, they need to complete the online Post-Secondary Information form.

The name of their post-secondary institution and their student ID numbers are required to ensure the bursary is deposited into the correct student account.

Without this information, they cannot award the bursary.

9 of 13

Taking a Gap Year?

Students who do not attend a post-secondary institution after high school can defer their Community Service Bursary for up to a maximum of 1 year.

To defer the Community Service Bursary, please email communityservicebursary@gov.pe.ca

10 of 13

Submitting Hours��

You need to ensure that the organizations you volunteer with submit your hours. They do so by July 31 of the year you graduate.
You should direct them to the Community Service Bursary website where they will find the information regarding how they submit the hours

11 of 13

What if I volunteer at TOSH?

You need to speak with the staff advisor for your activity. The staff advisor will submit hours to Ms. DeCoste each year.

Ex. Mrs. Noonan submits Peer Tutoring hours to Ms. DeCoste BUT you need to ensure that you have communicated with her about your hours.

Ms. DeCoste submits a total of your TOSH Volunteer Hours in June of your grade 12 year.

12 of 13

Things to Note

This is a government program (not affiliated with schools).
Ms. DeCoste and Mr. Donovan can help you navigate the system and answer some questions but we do not have any access to your information (can’t see if you are registered, can’t see your hours, etc).

13 of 13

What do I REALLY need to know?

See: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/workforce-and-advanced-learning/community-service-bursary

OR Google: Community Service Bursary PEI

***Their website is updated and MUCH easier to follow now.