CREATIVITY ACTION SERVICE
CAS refers to Creativity Action Service. It is mandatory that IB Diploma students complete 150 hours of such activities to be eligible for the award of the diploma. The school provides opportunities to the students to work and gain experience in long-term activities such as Tribal School project, Orphanage project, Environmental Awareness project, etc. In addition, students also participate in cultural activities, adventure camps, dramatics, and symposiums.
The objective of CAS is to enable the IB students to develop a value system by which they enhance their personal growth. By participating in CAS, the students develop a spirit of open-mindedness, lifelong learning, discover and self-reliance.
CAS ACTIVITY AT AGRA - MAY 2017
As part of the CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) programme, 16 students of IB 2nd year volunteered at the Wildlife SOS organization sites at Agra. From 17th to 23rd May, the students were involved in a lot of activities, divided equally between the bear and elephant centres.
Wildlife SOS was established in 1995 by a small group of individuals inspired to start a movement and make lasting change to protect and conserve India’s natural heritage, forest and wildlife wealth. Today, the organisation has evolved to actively work towards protecting Indian wildlife, conserving habitat, studying biodiversity, conducting research and creating alternative and sustainable livelihoods for erstwhile poacher communities or those communities that depend on wildlife for sustenance. Our school was the first Indian group of volunteers to be a part of such an endeavour with Wildlife SOS.
On the first day of the volunteering service, the group was enlightened by the Wildlife SOS on the issues faced by bears and other animals and also elaborated on the diverse efforts of the organisation to combat these evils against the wildlife. They visited both the bear and the elephant centres, gaining an insight into the lives of the animals that are under the care of the NGO.
The Second day was filled with an array of exciting activities. From cooking breakfast in the duplex early in the morning, to sleeping in the shed after a long day’s work, their fatigue was overpowered by their excitement and determination to serve and work and also have a little fun at the same time.
Once they were welcomed by the NGO volunteers, the students divided themselves into groups of two and set out to pay a visit to the bears, as they were set to build enrichments for them. Hours of tirelessly working in the field but to their luck, they were opulently rewarded by the nourishing rain.
After the tiresome work with the enrichments, the students, after a quick nap, they made “food puzzles” for the bears as well, by mixing assorted fruits and leaves, topping it with cubes of jaggery and finally lacing the treat with sweet honey. Truly a bear’s dream. These puzzles were then tied to branches. The volunteers explained to them as to how it was necessary for the bear to exert themselves physically, to break away from the idle nature when they once lived while chained, in their traumatising past.
After working exuberantly in the bear centre, it was time for the elephant centres.
The students carried out tremendous work in the elephant centres from cleaning the elephant’s tank, to giving them baths, to feeding them to even taking them out to a walk. The personal favourite day of the students, the elephant centre was an amazing experience, with students keeping aside any ounce of disgust or reluctancy as they dived into the elephants’ tanks to cleanse.
On the last day of volunteering, they helped in the bear centres further, getting to know different bears and building enrichments etc.
< align="justify"p>And finally, the cherry on top, a visit to the magnificent Taj Mahal, where the students stood astound in the glory of architecture.
Reflection
For once, after a long time in the realm of technology, we were bonded with nature and with each other much better in the Agra trip. Bonding with bears was an adventure! We built play pens for them and we fed them. We even got to know their names and their characteristics! The elephants episode was an escapade including long walks with the elephant and showering them! We were so fond of these loveable beings that we addressed them like a person with a name and attributes during our discussions over the dinner table. From just another class of students, we became a family.
"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X
