Today, I woke up and for some reason, I did not feel the same as I usually do, and then I remembered… this is quite possibly my last real week of school. And by real, I mean, sleep depression is in tack, homework is still in piles covering my table, and tests are lined up for the week. In the coming weeks, we will have none of this, actually, maybe the last one, tests will be in abundance during exam week. However, these are some of my last days being a student, and even a kid, soon I will be off at university and the experience of learning will be drastically different. One of the defining factors of the whirlwind we call the IB has been CAS, when I look back at my old posts, I see who I have become throughout DP, it makes me reflect back on everything I did and how I helped my community.
What I realize is CAS is a collection of fond memories and a timeline of growth, in all honesty, as I tried to keep up with all of the requirement of this particular aspect of the IB, I did feel overwhelmed at times, and I never thought I would be saying this but, I think I will miss CAS. It forced me to get involved in activities that I never thought I would be interested in, it also taught me how the reflect on experiences to better yourself, and most importantly, it taught me how to help my community, whether it be the OSC community, my family and even a community of women, I have learned so much about myself and others.
What the most important factor about doing CAS is the seven learning outcomes. These are outcomes that one should expect as they get involved in either creativity, action, or service, they are products of doing different activities/events that pertain to the program. Something I have noticed in my CAS posts is that, as I get older and ‘wiser’, so do my posts, I started off by having surface-level reflection about things that I was doing but now I can see how my reflective skills have progressed and become more focused on these outcomes. In order to truly go out with a bang, I want to take a moment to look back at my junior and senior years in relation to each outcome.
- Identify my own Strengths and Develop areas for Growth
When it comes to strength and growth, the activity of SAISA sports always comes to mind. Over the years, I have been involved in many SAISA teams, however, volleyball and basketball have been very close to my heart, not just because of the nature of the sports but the people I have met along the way because of my involvement in them. From the beginning of DP 1, I always had trouble juggling one of my major commitments, COMUN alongside my passion for sports, however, I always managed to participate, even unofficially when I was not able to dedicate enough time to the team. Unfortunately, senior year has been devoid of any team sports with the pandemic rapidly growing, I was able to play volleyball here and there but it was not the same. After all my years at OSC, I look back at the personal goals that I set for myself, for example in volleyball, I aimed to work on my overhand serve and in order to do so, I needed to work on my technique, become stronger in my knowledge of volleyball as well as the power of my movements when serving. Overall, SAISA was my chance to physically challenge myself especially when it came to overcoming areas of improvement and continuing to do my best in areas I was confident in. Another goal of mine was to, in general, practice with the team at least twice a week. I set this goal because sports acts as an outlet for me to improve my physical ability while also doing something I love, allowing me to take a break from work. This goal was difficult to fulfill during the senior year because no teams were conducting training, so I took it upon myself to play every chance I got during lunch breaks with my classmates. By doing this, I was able to focus on my physical health and continue setting goals in regards to my strengths and weaknesses.
- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
The climate strike at school was organized by all of the service leaders at OSC, as the leader for G4G, I took it upon myself to be actively engaged in planning it because I am very passionate about raising awareness about climate change. One of our main aims was to create a plan that would be practical for the students and school administration to take on. We sat for hours planning a document that students could sign which would limit their contribution to climate change. We thought of things such as paying for a carbon tax when traveling for SAISA and carpooling to school which students and teachers would be willing to take on. We also wanted to empower our student body when it came to tackling climate change issues, we created posters, flyers, Instagram content and even had an assembly that would educate them on this particular subject matter. By doing all these things, we learned how to work in groups to plan an event, creatively think of ways to empower those around us and encourage/offer changes that could be made within people’s lives that would cut down their carbon footprint. I also learned how to organize a large group of people since we did a climate march around the school. This experience taught me a lot especially with regards to social/environmental issues and how to empower communities in little and big ways!
- Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
My CAS project revolved around making an Instagram for my service, G4G. The reason I chose this as my project was that school and all activities had been shifted online, due to the pandemic, platforms online were the only method of readily available communication. I wanted to create an Instagram page where the G4G group could communicate with the OSC and Sri Lankan community, spread awareness about sexual abuse and women issues in general, showcase the work we do as a service and also be a creative space. Since almost all of our service members had Instagrams of their own, we would not need to spend time introducing the application and giving everyone a tutorial on how to use it, all of our members were very confident when it came to navigating it and were excited to add their own flair to the page. It took some planning, for example for high engagement and regular interaction with the page, we needed to instate “segments” which would empower the community. I started by adding daily inspirational quotes from women about women. Then we also added pictures weekly of us doing activities and planning sessions to show our audience what we do. Later, we wanted to showcase some art that would raise awareness, these were created by our won members and allowed them to get creative. This project was quite difficult to plan but due to the creative nature of the app, it was super exciting and personal to create. I want this account to continue being a platform for the G4G team where we can document and showcase the journeys we have been on and the progression of our service!
- Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
My commitment and perseverance in CAS has been showcased through my participation in Colombo Model United Nations. I joined COMUN in grade eight, when I first entered general assembly 4 as a novice delegate, I was completely intimidated by my peers and all those who were able to talk so fluently and eloquently under pressure. However, as I learned more about the organization, I found ways to better my public speaking and confidence overall. Activities such as UN day were small steps for me in my journey of educating myself about global issues and how to further educate my community. The progression of my leadership responsibilities is a testament to my commitment to COMUN and passion for debate. I went from novice delegate to a chair of an assembly to secretary-general in four years and I cannot stress enough how much the experience molded me into the person I am today. In COMUN, I learned how to plan, organize, work with people, public speak, write speeches, research and how to handle pressure, all of these would not be achieved if I did not stay in the club and continue to work at being a better delegate and ultimately a leader to my peers. When I was secretary-general, one of the biggest challenges I took on in my high school career, I had moments where I did not feel my best, however, with a positive mindset and those around me who support me, I was able to overcome my obstacles and keep working at creating an experience where students could have a stimulating debate and leave the conference with great memories and a better version of themselves.
- Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
I have participated in Girls for Girls since I was in grade eight, and this service has taught me so much about sexual abuse and the strength of women in the Sri Lankan community. In my last two years of being leader, I have also noticed that collaboration is a key part to running this service successfully. The bonds that our OSC girls build with the Emerge girls are strong because both groups rely on each other when it comes to tackling issues, defining their femininity and in general, when they need a friend. Some skills that both groups have taught one another include language (Sinhala and English), life skills (cooking, self-defense, etc), and even ways to boost mental health (meditation and arts). Overall, it has always been clear to me that by these two groups working collaboratively, there have been so many ways that we have benefited and becomes more thoughtful and aware human beings. Working in groups also happens at a smaller scale, for example, within our Girls for Girls group, although I am the leader and am in charge of organizing sessions, I would have a really difficult time thinking of activities that are aimed at achieving our G4G mission. I always look to my fellow members for ideas and initiatives we could do and it always pays off because we are able to capture different perspectives and interests, allowing not just us but the Emerge girls to step outside of their comfort zones. Some activities thought of by younger members that have become staples for our G4G team includes singing sessions, end-of-year t-shirt making, and infographics to educate our community.
Looking back at high school, I cherish the memories I made and the people I met. It was one of the most academically challenging times of my life however CAS was something that kept me sane through all the comotion and also made me remember how to give back to my community in ways that leveraged my interests. I will greatly miss writing on here about crazy adventures I had while on my DP journey but I know that as I move on to another stage of my life, CAS will still extend to other things I do. I plan to join many clubs that pertain to my interests and continue focusing on my physical and mental health above all else. Cheers to an eventful and colorful two years of Creativity, Activity, and Service!