CAS reflections are important part of the IB program. But it can be somewhat challenging if you don’t have ideas to complete your hours. The goal of this guide is to make things simple for you by giving your some useful IB CAS project ideas if you don’t have any just yet.
Just so we’re on the same page, let’s first make sure you understand what CAS is in the IB diploma program.
CAS stands for Creativity, Activity, and Service. While IB often refers to the terms collectively, mostly because they’re part of the extra-curricular of the program, the focus is often on different segments.
Here’s a breakdown of what that means:
- Creativity: As an IB student, you have to demonstrate your creative thinking by putting your artistic skills to use and producing something that reflects your knowledge.
- Activity: Take part in an activity that requires physical exertion.
- Service: You have to put yourself in the position where you can help people without expecting something in return.
With that out of the way, let’s look at some of the simple CAS ideas that can help you complete your hours to make good reflections.
IB CAS Project Ideas to Consider Right Now
There’s no good or bad idea to consider for your CAS project. As long as you can spend your time doing something worthwhile to contribute towards your CAS hours, you’re good to go.
Below are some good ideas to consider:
1. Volunteer to Help People
Do you have free time on the weekend and feel like volunteering to help people in your community? Offering to help to an NGO near you can go a long way to add some activity and service hours to your CAS reflection.
To begin with, there no restriction to the type of an NGO you can join as long as they are functioning for a good cause for humanity. For example, you can volunteer your service at nursing homes, animal shelter, and charity organization. Find out to what capacity they’d need you to help them.
To be very clear, we don’t recommend volunteering to help people just so you can fill your CAS hours. After all, you can only earn about 2 hours a month for this. You should volunteer because you want to make the world a better place for everyone who needs help.
2. Teach People Something
There many people in your community who would appreciate learning a new skill. So becoming a tutor for a while can go a long way to make a difference for you and them. You don’t need years of experience to teach something in your area of interest. All you need is a passion for the subject, time to spare, and the willingness to help the community without expecting something in return.
There’s no limit to what you can teach, and often the approach depends on what you’re good at. For example, you can teach people how to code, how to speak Spanish, or even how to become good writers.
We highly recommend teaching on a subject or issue you’re passionate about. Or, you can teach on an area that you would want to explore further in the future as you transition from the IB program to college.
3. Shoot a Video about Anything Educational
You don’t need a degree in journalism to make a video for your CAS. What you need is an idea or a topic that can address an important issue that you want the world to know about. In other words, the video you create should focus on sharing helpful information with the world or solving a problem.
The best videos for CAS are those that focus on global issues, as they are matters of worldwide concern. So, you may want to focus your video on issues such as:
- Waste management
- The Covid-19 global pandemic
- Plastic pollution
- Sustainability and building a green, carbon-free world
One of the best things about making a video is that it will earn you many hours for your CAS. That’s because this project idea cover all the CAS components.
In other words:
- You’ll earn creativity points for writing your script and planning your video
- Taking part to research shooting location, setting up your equipment, and shooting the video will earn you points for creativity
- You will earn points for service because the video you create will address the public on an important issue, not to mention you won’t get a compensation for your work.
On average, you might earn 3 hours for creativity, 2 hours for activity, and up to 5 hours for service. The points can go a long way to help you compete your CAS hours fast.
4. Learn to Play an Instrument
Learning to play a musical instrument can be a great way to earn creativity points to add to your CAS hours.
The best part is that there’s no limit to what instrument you can learn to play, so feel free to go for what interests you the most. Also, it is best if the instrument you pick is a lot less demanding in terms of learning hours. If you know the basics of a musical instrument, that would be even better.
You can earn at least 2 hours a week of creativity points to add to your CAS hours.
5. Play Your Favorite Game
Even if you don’t get into a pitch frequently, spending some time playing your favorite game can go a long way to add to your CAS reflection. Like with playing an instrument of your choice, IB doesn’t impose limits on the type of sport you can play. So you’re at liberty to engage in a sport of your choice.
Check your schedule to determine what time what time would be best for you to participate in your favorite sport. Make sure the period you select, be it in the morning or afternoon hours, doesn’t interrupt any of your classes during the day.
Aim for at least 3 hours of activity per week and an hour of service a week.