What is CAS?

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is at the heart of the Diploma Programme and, by extension, at the heart of the International School of Geneva’s mission and educational philosophy.

It is one of the three essential elements in every DP student’s experience and it is a mandatory component of the school curriculum for all students in years 12 and 13.

It involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout their final two years of school.

CAS enables you, as the student, to enhance your personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. At the same time, it provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of your academic program. The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows:

WHY CAS?

Because you are more than just a grade average. CAS is intended to move you out of the academic arena and help you learn through life experiences. Yes, as an IB student, we know you are involved in many interesting activities. What we are asking you to do is consider how these activities help you to become a better person. CAS is about:

• Becoming a reflective thinker—you understand your own strengths and limitations, identify goals and devise strategies for personal growth .

• Willingness to accept new challenges and new roles .

• Awareness of yourself as a member of communities with responsibilities towards others and the environment.

• Being an active participant in sustained, collaborative projects.

• Balance—enjoying and finding significance in a range of activities involving intellectual, physical, creative and emotional experiences.