Youth Engagement Research Project

The CDH Youth Engagement Research project ended on March 17, 2026 with the in-person presentation, Youth Views on Volunteerism, at the Burlington Central Library.  From March 2025 to February 2026, CDH engaged 10 youth volunteers in the Youth Engagement Research Project. The project explored the facilitators and barriers to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) 40-hour community involvement requirement.​

This requirement came into effect in 1999 and has never been evaluated in the history of the requirement! To the best of our knowledge, this project was the first evaluation of this youth-centric policy across Canada, and the first evaluation that engaged youth in the leadership of the research project.

The CDH Youth Engagement Research Team - Vishisht Bhatnagar, Matthew Clerigo, Gabriel Henriques, Bilal Jawaid, Pasha Jazayeri, Dharmi Kambodi, Claire Liu, Yogitha Machina, Tumi Segun-Ajala, and Krisha Thakkar – supported by CDH Youth Engagement Coordinator Iman Kaur and Volunteer Halton Director Heather Johnson and funded by the Burlington Community Foundation, did a participatory research project, collecting over 430 responses from youth in Burlington about their experience with the OSSD 40-hour community involvement graduation requirement.  The project employed a mixed-method approach to collect data through an online survey as well as qualitative insights from youth and nonprofit leaders.

The finished research report was released at the end of February 2026, and the findings demonstrate that youth in Burlington value volunteering and recognize its role in building skills, confidence, and community connection. The research also highlights that the current model places a disproportionate burden on youth to navigate complex systems independently, exacerbating inequities for students with disabilities, additional language needs, limited financial resources, or reduced family support. Over the course of three community presentations, the Youth Engagement Research Team shared their findings and engaged attendees in a policy lab exercise to get feedback on the five recommendations including support with connections to key decision-makers to effect change to improve youth volunteer engagement in Burlington.

Read the full report on CDH’s website: https://www.cdhalton.ca/civic-labs.

Watch a recording of the youth team presenting their findings. https://youtu.be/aOZMQEDcolw?si=kXyxUINqs9-DzlEA

Read a stories from two of the researchers about their experience with the project:

Gabe's Story: https://www.cdhalton.ca/post/youth-engagement-research-project

Claire's Story: https://www.cdhalton.ca/post/rethinking-the-40-hr-requirement

Get involved!

Interested in having CDH share this information with youth involved in your program, youth group, or school?  CDH has a comprehensive workshop package which includes a 20-minute presentation video created by Youth Engagement Research team members along with resource materials and activities.  Email office@cdhalton.ca for more information.