Here it is, my final CAS post. Looking back at my first ever CAS post I notice a huge change and improvement. I am glad to say that I have achieved and exceeded my initial goals and this has encouraged me to keep developing the skills that I learned through CAS, such as communication and collaborative skills which I have applied in all three sectors, Creativity, Activity and Service. During these two years, CAS has been a motivation to get out of my comfort zone and try things I haven’t done before and develop new passions like volleyball and an appreciation for service.

Creativity

LO1: Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.

LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.

Throughout my DP years I’ve tried to improve my creative abilities, artistically through visuals and music as well as my organisational skills and plan making. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take art (I had to take chemistry instead) so I couldn’t develop my artistic skills as much as I would have wanted, however that didn’t stop me from  incorporating art in some of my classes, especially french. For my french class, I would make posters and presentations on some of the topics from my favourite units. Musically I was able to enhance my skills by taking part in the Gala festival. After learning about a charity organisation, Restos du Coeur, that provides many services for the homeless such as shelter and free meals, the french class agreed that it would be a positive idea to join the festival and share a piece of what we learned in class. The experience itself allowed me to feel more confident in my singing skills, and it was a nice opportunity to spread hope and the positivity of this organisation. Additionally, I was able to test my creative skills through planning and organising events. Such as the workshop on UN day, the planning process and ideas of any fundraiser for service (including the making of posters), and Reading Buddies.

Here are pictures from Reading Buddies and Gala

Links to the blog posts:

https://cas.osc.lk/skujcic23/2022/11/09/reading-buddies/ 

https://cas.osc.lk/skujcic23/2022/12/16/gala-restos-du-coeur/

Activity

LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.

LO5: Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.

At the start of DP1 I joined volleyball, however due to Covid there wasn’t a chance to participate in SAISA, but the training has been really enjoyable and helpful to develop my volleyball skills better. I continued volleyball in DP2 as well, and participated in the SAISA tournament which was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The tournament went great and the team showed true sportsmanship which has helped us all to enjoy and play at our best. By the end of the season, after all the trainings (morning and after-school practices as well volleyball with friends during lunch time) I have noticed an improvement in my volleyball skills which has helped me in my physical strength and my commitment to the sport. Along with that, I was also keeping active with horse riding in my own time. I would usually go twice a week and learn new techniques and commands. Horseriding helps me stay active and leave my house, which meant a lot especially during Covid restrictions, as well as helps me cope with stress. Other activities that I have tried are tennis. Which, in reality I have never tried before and was very surprised by how challenging it is. My friend who trains tennis took me to the tennis court where she usually trains at and showed me how to play. Although a rough (and pretty tragic) start, I got the idea of some of the techniques by the end. I tried to be as consistent as possible with sports to make sure to always be active and spend time outdoors.

Pictures from tennis and the SAISA volleyball tournament

Links to blog posts:

https://cas.osc.lk/skujcic23/2022/02/20/trying-tennis-for-the-first-time/ 

https://cas.osc.lk/skujcic23/2022/10/28/saisa-volleyball/ 

Service

LO3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.

LO6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.

LO7: Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

I was part of the service group Care for Paws. In DP1 I was lucky to become a member of the service which takes care of stray animals here in Sri Lanka (cats and dogs) by organising sterilisation camps. Care for Paws aims to reduce the cat and dog populations on the streets of Sri Lanka to reduce the risk of the spread of diseases amongst animals but also amongst people. However the problem which stands in the way is the uncontrolled reproduction so, Care for Paws’ main initiative are sterilisation camps. The group plans various fundraisers, such as: bake sales, t-shirts, collaborations with other service groups, like 5k runs or the bazaar, etc. in order to organise a sterilisation camp which involves a group of vets from Adopt a Dog Sri Lanka Organisation who carry out the surgeries as well as teach the service members how to inject the animals for IVs and vaccines. Service has been very memorable thanks to my fellow members, my passion for animals and doing something to help them, as well as learning more about the urgency of the issue of overpopulating stray animals. Which is why I chose to dedicate my CAS project to my service group and the work that we did to achieve our goals. To do this and further raise awareness about the issue, I wrote an article on the latest sterilisation camp that took place this year. In addition, I have also attended an Eco Schools meeting with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to receive the green flag. The green flag is an international certificate that shows that our school is eco-friendly. After everyones contribution and hard work, our school finally achieved the green flag and became the first eco-friendly school in Sri Lanka!

Below are images of some of my favourite moments from the sterilisation camps

Links to blog posts:

https://cas.osc.lk/skujcic23/2023/03/13/sterilisation-camp-care-for-paws/ https://cas.osc.lk/skujcic23/2023/03/13/sterilisation-camp-care-for-paws/

In conclusion, I have genuinely enjoyed all of my CAS experiences and am really glad to have participated in different activities and exercises which have allowed me to add variety to my interests and skills. Writing the blogs has also allowed me to remind me of all the things that i did as well as notice a positive change in both, my writing abilities and my view on the three sectors of CAS. I am sincerely grateful for the support we were able to receive from our peers throughout this process as well as the experiences we were able to be part of.