The CAS Adventure

Written by: Juliane

CAS stands for Creativity Activity and Service. It is one of the several requirements you need to meet in order to pass the IB and consists in various experiences and a CAS Project, like this blog. At first, completing your CAS requirement may seem like a burden, but it shouldn't. It's an adventure, really.

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If you're reading this article, I'm guessing you are an IB Diploma student, meaning that you need to record a minimum of seven CAS experiences, with one CAS Project, in your portfolio. These experiences need to cover the three key strands of CAS mentioned earlier and preferably encompass several of the seven learning outcomes: Strength and Growth, Initiative and Planning, Collaborative Skills, Ethics of Choices & Actions, Challenge & Skills, Commitment & Perseverance, and Global Engagement. These learning outcomes are aimed at helping you realise what challenges you are undertaking by carrying out this experience. Later, these will help you in your reflection-writing.

The creative strand of CAS relates to any artistic or expressive activity you may undertake. This may be a weekly art class, or an endeavour such as the creation of posters or even bracelets to exhibit around the school. In some ways, this blog is part of the creativity strand because it involves us, writers, coming up with original content. I even considered my dance classes as a mix of creativity and activity.

This takes us to the activity strand of CAS, the one linked with physical activity: sports. Although this may not always be a sport, it usually is; if you take part in any type of team sport, this is where it would be entered. I, for example, attend weekly dance and climbing classes; the activity doesn't have to be weekly, though. You can enter experiences that only occurred once, like a hike or a run of considerable length.

Finally, there's service. Service is in essence anything that, in some way or another, has a beneficial impact on individual or the environment. There are four service categories: direct, indirect, advocacy and research. Direct service is a form of service in which you communicate directly with people and the environment to work towards an improvement. Then, indirect service can be anything from creating a website to writing a book, as long as you can guarantee that it promotes a cause. Advocacy is similar in that way, but it entails your speaking on behalf of a problem be it climate change or black lives matter; it is mostly synonymous with raising awareness. And research is just what it sounds like: carrying out surveys or an investigation aimed at the implementation of new policies, or simply to inform others on a topic of global significance.

The most challenging facet of the CAS portfolio is the CAS Project. This is a self-initiated project which should last at least a month during which you "show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making". The best CAS projects are the ones that have a clear positive impact on people, an organisation, anything. To conceive a project without any prior ideas, it is helpful to think about what you would be able to do and what you would enjoy doing. What I mean is that you should consider your skills, interests, and means. Take this website as an example. I wouldn't profess to be a great writer, but it's something I can do. I can also work on website designs and come up with topics to write about. And as an IB student, I have a certain insight into what that entails, and may therefore be able to offer other people advice. Putting all of those together doesn't necessarily lead you to the creation of a website for IB students, but it does guide you towards the shining lightbulb of an idea. But maybe you already have ideas for a project.

Here are some tips and reasons why you shouldn't worry about your CAS.

The first tip is to use your extra-curricular activities to cover the creativity and activity strands of CAS. I think it's fair to say that a lot of people attend at least one after-school class, be it a sport or another activity, and if that happens to be you, then make sure to enter it in your portfolio. If you don't already go to weekly classes that entail some sort of physical activity, then I'm sure you can easily sign up to a team (or other) sport at your school or outside of it. Checking off the creativity side of CAS is easy; ask yourself: Do you play an instrument? draw? sing? dance? act? photograph? All of those qualify for Creativity and the fact that you're already doing it means that you don't have to take extra time out of your weekly timetable to do the extra CAS. So there you go, just use what you already have.

The second tip. This tip relates to service, in particular; if you're lacking in your service experiences, join a club or a society. Clubs are easy to attend and usually take place whenever you have a break, so you don't need to go out of your way. There are lots of different types of clubs, ranging from environmental to social justice clubs; you may join to learn, to advocate, or to carry out a project. It's important that you join a club with the intention to be committed, not just to sit there and not contribute. Take the opportunity to educate yourself and to get involved with the topic.

If you're struggling with the CAS project, just think about what I said about knowing what you can do and keep your eyes and ears open for any opportunities. There are more out there than you think and may even arise in clubs.

I have trouble believing that after this you aren't able to have a complete CAS portfolio. And even if you are struggling, all you need is 7 experiences and a CAS Project. Remember that its the quality of the experiences that counts, not just the quantity.

So...how far along are you on your adventure?