Creativity, Action, Service: reflections of an IB student

Creativity: interpretive dance by Grace 

The IB Diploma is well-known globally as a rigorous and demanding academic programme, however the programme also challenges students outside of the classroom. Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) is a core component of the Diploma that serves as a counter-balance to its academic demands. What can CAS do for students? Liliana Tius Grace, a recent graduate of Cita Hati High School, wrote this summary reflecting on her experiences in CAS over the two years of her Diploma Programme for Garuda Indonesia in flight magazine. 

Completing CAS requirements for the IB Diploma has not been easy - great efforts were needed, hours had to be sacrificed, and commitment was required for each activity - but CAS activities helped me learn a lot about other people, about the environment, and about myself. 

In Creativity I tried new activities and accepted new challenges. I joined a band as singer and bassist, and taught keyboard sessions to young kids. I danced in a hiphop group, dubbed at a radio station, and learned violin. Some of the Creativity  activities surprised me because I never thought I would do things like learn the Korean language or play Hawaiian steel guitar. 

Action: learning to scuba dive

Action activities included learning how to snorkel, dive and swim. I hiked, bowled, and played badminton; I trained myself to run fast and to catch, aim, and throw better. These activities helped me feel healthier, and joining sports nights gave me new friends and helped me become comfortable in new places. 

In CAS Service I was surprised to discover a different side of myself - that I cared for others. I’ve taught science to elementary kids in remote areas, visited hospitals and orphanages, worked with Habitat Indonesia, and helped feed flood victims. At first I did the Service activities just to meet requirements but then I began to get involved more on my own free will. I found myself putting in more and more commitment, and the greater the efforts I made the better I felt. I’m still involved with some of the Service projects now, even after completing my CAS hours. 

Some activities scared me (like in diving when I panicked and sucked sea water into my nose and mouth) but I found out that after each activity I gained confidence and the next challenge always felt slightly easier to take. I found out that it doesn’t really matter how important what you do is, or how big the scale is - what matters is how you do it. Through activities like mangrove conservation I have learned to take care of the environment and to appreciate how important it is for us. I learned to value other people more, and how it’s usually more fun to do things with other people than doing them alone. I learned to appreciate every little thing I have, like books or a nice pillow. It was difficult to commit to all these activities and I had to learn how to plan and organize, and the importance of finishing what I’d started. 

I’m glad to know that while I have benefited from all these CAS activities, other people have benefitted too. It’s not an exaggeration to say that CAS has changed my life, and I can’t help but smile at the thought of that.

Service: Grace and IB students preparing to plant mangrove seedlings (click to enlarge)