CAS – Creativity, Activity, Service – is a part of the IBDP program that helps young learners imbibe all the IB learner attributes through productive engagement over the course of their study. It helps learners pick up valuable leadership, communication, and organizational skills. To take this one step further, the students of CHIREC organized CAScade, a conclave bringing together fellow IB students from across the city. This forum gave students the opportunity to connect with service-oriented non-profit organizations, to share their ideas and take a step towards changing the world. Most importantly, CAScade provided students with the opportunity to spread awareness about their CAS initiatives, which helped get more people involved to help solve the issues the students were most passionate about.

Here are some of the community service projects that the students of IBDP 11 (Batch of 2020) have taken up as a part of their long-term CAS projects.

 

At Rise

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With the goal of promoting sustainable community development, 12 students along with Vice-Principal & Mentor, Mr. Venkat Raman, started a foundation called AT RISE (Aim towards Rural Interdependence, Sustainability, and Empowerment) in the village of Arkathala. Within no time, the students were able to make a considerable difference in the village by renovating a government school, supporting them with school supplies, providing proper drinking water facilities, and empowering the village’s women with skill development.

 

Vistaar

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Saarang Prabhu and Nikhil Yachareni started volunteering for Youth for Seva when they realized that a lot of students lack proper communication skills. They brainstormed on how to help the students with communication skills, language, public speaking and came up with an organization called VISTAAR. It is a new and growing organization with the active support of like-minded students who are initiating various programs that focus on skills needed to improve the communication of students in need.

 

The invention of a book (Visual Journey) at SAHI

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SAHI is an organization that caters to the children with hearing impairment and helps them in cochlear implants. Sarvani Kolachana is an intern at SAHI and is in the process of creating a book that will take the reader through a visual journey of a child. The book will be sponsored by SAHI. Sarvani is inspired by Brian Selznick, the writer of Wonderstruck, who tells his story through visuals by capturing the sense of silence that deaf people live with.

 

E3 Club

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Ramesh Babu is the founder of the E3 Club that promotes green initiatives in and outside the school. Besides segregation of waste and awareness campaigns, the E3 club has also started a social media campaign on this World Environment Day to bring a difference. The E3 club members are also promoting a mask challenge campaign by the UNEP by sharing their initiative through prominent film personalities from Tollywood to Bollywood via Instagram. The E3 club, as a registered member of the UNEP, has also planted 1080 trees in Hyderabad.

 

Ode to Change

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Ode to Change, an organization founded by Surya, aims to mobilize the youth of the country towards bringing a social change. The group works on different initiatives like tree planting, distribution of books and clothes to the needy, etc. The club is open to enrolling like-minded students who wish to contribute to society in a productive way.

 

Wildlife Youth Consortium

Avirath Tibrewala is a part of the Wildlife Youth Consortium, a club to create public awareness on animal protection and create volunteering opportunities for it. He is working closely with WWF to explore possible areas of interest in partnership with them. The projects that he has taken up this academic year include – Tiger conservation project in partnership with HYTICOS, working with Friends of Snakes Society, working with groups of students from CHIREC on documenting diversity in insects, birds, plants through observations by exploring Botanical Garden, etc. WWF will also train our student volunteers in leading various Eco trails for other groups of students.

 

Jagrukta

Jagrukta, as the name suggests, is an awareness program on mental health for high school students and has been initiated by Vaidehi Harpanahalli. The aim of this program is to work closely with the Government schools in addressing issues on bullying, domestic abuse among the young learner groups, etc.

 

It is heartening to see how students have identified issues they are truly passionate about, and devised solutions to address these problems and help those in need. These organizations are providing eye-opening and valuable experiences nothing short of an epiphany for our young leaders.

You can read about more CAS Projects at CHIREC on our CAS Portal.