The International School Bangalore
CAS Diary Term 1
Candidate Name: XXXX
CAS Advisor: XXXX
CAS coordinator: XXXXX
In CAS, there are seven learning outcomes.
LO 1. Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
Descriptor: Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities and skills, of which
some are more developed than others.
LO 2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in
the process
Descriptor: A new challenge may be an unfamiliar experience or an extension of an existing
one. The newly acquired or developed skills may be shown through experiences that the student
has not previously undertaken or through increased expertise in an established area.
LO 3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
Descriptor: Students can articulate the stages from conceiving an idea to executing a plan for a
CAS experience or series of CAS experiences. This may be accomplished in collaboration with
other participants. Students may show their knowledge and awareness by building on a previous
experience, or by launching a new idea or process.
LO 4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
Descriptor: Students demonstrate regular involvement and active engagement in CAS.
LO 5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
Descriptor: Students are able to identify, demonstrate and critically discuss the benefits and
challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences. CAS learning outcomes
LO 6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
Descriptor: Students are able to identify and demonstrate their understanding of global issues,
make responsible decisions, and take appropriate action in response to the issue either locally,
nationally or internationally.
LO 7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions
Descriptor: Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and actions in planning and
carrying out CAS experiences
Student completion of CAS is based on the achievement of the seven CAS learning
outcomes realized through the student’s commitment to his or her CAS programme over a
period of 18 months. These learning outcomes articulate what a CAS student is able to do
at some point during his or her CAS programme.
Through meaningful and purposeful CAS experiences, students develop the necessary
skills, attributes and understandings to achieve the seven CAS learning outcome
Service
Let’s Talk
Background Information: Let’s Talk is a non-profit organisation I started in 9th grade which aims
to spread mental health awareness and break the stigma around reaching out for help. We do this
through conducting awareness sessions in both government and private schools. In the second
term of the school year, we launched a chapter program so that people could start Let’s Talk
chapters in their own communities and become empowered. So far, we have conducted 130
awareness sessions, impacted 7200+ people, started 8 chapters nationally and have 200+
volunteers. This term, Let’s Talk was featured in The Times of India, The Indian Express, The
Tribune, The Bangalore Mirror, The Deccan Herald, and several other news sites and radio
stations.
The primary service activity I did this term was running my non-profit Let’s Talk. This year was
all about expanding impact and trying to increase the reach of the Project. This was important to
my team and I because as a local project, we had already reached our potential and created
impact. Now, the time came for us to move beyond being a local initiative and start national
chapters. I came up with the idea for chapters back in December when I was brainstorming
expansion plans. It was developed with the help of Ashoka Innovators for the Public, the largest
network of social entrepreneurs in the world that I am part of. Firstly, I had to come up with an
application portal for people to apply and start chapters.
Caption: Chapter Program application form
The next step was going through the applications and sending out a chapter planning form for the
applicants to obtain clarity on what they wanted. To do this efficiently, I appointed a loyal team
member, Samantha Narula, to be the head of the chapter program.
Caption: Chapter planning form
After the applicants filled out the form my team conducted interviews with them, and we
shortlisted 8 chapters to mentor and guide basis our impression of the dedication of the
candidates. I was slightly nervous about this program for several reasons. Firstly, as I am an IB
student with an overwhelming amount of workload, I had to delegate most of the tasks for this
program to my team members. This was difficult for me as the success of the program would
then depend on them, but I am glad I did because it taught me trust. Secondly, even if we had
established chapters, I was scared that they would not do much work and the program would fall
apart. Still, I persevered with my idea because it was important to me.
Next, Samantha Narula conducted training sessions for the applicants to help them with
organisational, communication and operational skills. We set a minimum requirement of two
webinars per month for each chapter and asked them to create social media accounts, so the
training focused on that.
Caption: Invite for training session and our WhatsApp group
The chapter heads were trained, and my team and I answered any doubts that they had. My co-
founded, Kashish Singh, and I even had individual meetings with each one of them to make them
feel more comfortable and get to know them better. Then, the heads got started on the most
daunting but rewarding part of starting a chapter- actual implementation. They started
conducting webinars and making social media accounts.
Caption: Instagram account Caption: Instagram account of Let’s Talk Delhi
Of Let’s Talk Gujarat
Caption: Picture of Webinar by Let’s Talk Gujarat with 190 participants
Overall, each chapter has done at least 3 webinars by now and I’m so proud of each of them.
This has boosted Let’s Talk’s impact figures hugely and the chapter heads themselves have
learnt a lot from this experience. I have learned a lot myself. I learned to trust my instincts and
rely on other people, both things I usually struggle to do. Over the summer, my team and I plan
to start at least 50 chapters. I am super excited to reach this goal.
Creativity
For my creative activity, I engaged in a lot of public speaking this term. I believe public speaking
is one of the most creative things you can do. You get to present your own thoughts and opinions
as well as offer innovative ideas and solutions. This term, I focused on creativity in thought and
expression. To begin with, I spoke at TEDX. Lavelle Road about a framework for schools to
improve positive well-being.
Caption: My TEDx Talk on Mental health
The process of creating this talk was very time consuming but rewarding. I had to make multiple
drafts and include my own anecdotes and ideas. For me, the most creative thing about this
experience was coming up with my own framework for schools to follow: ARI- action, reaction,
intervention. The experience really allowed me to think outside of the box.
Caption: Instagram post for Women’s Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship Summit
I remember when I was going through the selection process to become an Ashoka Young
Changemaker, my interviewer asked me “Have you ever been impacted by gender inequality?”. I
told her that because of my financial and class privileges, gender inequality was not something I
had to confront. The TEDx talk ‘We should all be feminists’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
that you showed us changed that for me. I realized that although I had privileges, there was so
much misogyny that I had internalized to a point where problematic situations I observed in my
school and community were normal to me. I reflected on my role as a woman and an ally to the
movement of gender equality for months. I was finally able to acknowledge that there was so
much harm done to me and women around me because of gender norms, expectations, and
discrimination. When I was invited to speak at the ‘Women’s Initiative for Social
Entrepreneurship’ Summit, I was asked “how are women impacted by gender inequality and
what can we do to reduce the inequality?”. I chose to talk about my journey of reflection and the
role that we women need to play in being allies. This was a really creative journey for me as it
allowed me to interact with my opinions on my own terms and then produce original thought.
Caption: Event at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania
I was fortunate enough to be offered a chance to speak at the Graduate School of Education at
the University of Pennsylvania on June 8th. This was a challenging experience for me because I
am very used to talking about mental health, but the event was on education. Thinking about a
new subject matter was daunting at first and I struggled to find my own voice. Then I reflected
on my experiences as a student and all the things I hoped could be changed about the education
system and my school. Thank was my starting point and I then tried to refine my ideas and
propose creative ideas based on my first-hand experiences. The event went incredibly well, and I
learned that my voice as a student and a young person mattered. I was able to convey my
thoughts to an audience consisting of esteemed professors and ministers of education.
Activity
In the second term of IB, I tried to stay fit as best as I could by exercising for 10 minutes every
day. However, it was hard to stay committed to as I had a lot of schoolwork. Still, it was easier
because my mom bought me an elliptical machine.
Caption: Me on the elliptical
I am very grateful for my opportunity to use an elliptical. It has made exercise really easy and
fun. Every morning, I got up and used the elliptical for 10 minutes before school started. It made
me feel invigorated before a tiring school day. Initially, the elliptical seemed really intimidating
and I was scared of injuring myself. Therefore, I started by using it for 3 minutes and gradually
increased it by 2 minutes every week. 3…5...7..9...10.
After I mastered doing it for 10 minutes everyday, I started increasing the weight and resistance
of the elliptical. You have the option of moving the resistance from 1 to 10 units. Most days, I
keep the resistance between 3-5 kgs. On days that I feel particularly energetic or ambitious, I
move it to 7 kgs. I really enjoy the challenge of adding extra weight and stepping up my game.
Moreover, exercise doesn’t just help me because I can stay fit and healthy but also because it
allows me to stay alone with my thoughts. I usually listen to music on my air pods when I work
out and that enables me to connect to my more artistic side. It also puts me in a reflective mood
so I can think about the problems in my life. On the other hand, some days I do not want to be
with my worries and keep my mind off my thoughts. Exercising on the elliptical helps with that
too. I am just able to stay with my body and focus on the moment.
Caption: Elliptical progress on June 1st
I believe that accountability and sharing progress with loved ones is essential in creating better
exercise habits. My best friend, ……., asks me every day whether I have exercised and how long
I did it for. This motivates me to work on because I do not want to disappoint her. Additionally,
my mother also uses the elliptical every day. I am her accountability buddy and regularly check
with her on whether she has exercised. I love sharing the joy and benefits of keeping healthy
with my loved ones.
Service:
Donate Rice through United Nation's World Food Programme by regularly using Freerice -
Learning Outcome 6
25/2/21 – I recently came across an initiative called Freerice, which collaborates with the
United Nation's World Food Programme, who has pledged to donate 10 grains of rice to needy
families for every multiple-choice question a user answers correctly on Freerice. These
questions can be on Math, Science, English, as well as a plethora of other subjects, and come in
different difficulty levels.
On hearing of this programme, I decided that I wanted to try and donate rice using this method.
In fact, I’m about to begin my first game now. Wish me luck!
27/2/21 – Today I managed to reach my first goal of donating 500 grains of rice! However,
there’s still a long way to go!
1/3/21 – I haven’t had much time to do Freerice over the past couple of days, but today I finally
found the time to sit down for 45 minutes and keep answering questions until I reached my
second goal of donating 1000 grains of rice. In fact, I even went a little over! I think my final goal
now should be to try to donate 10000 grains of rice. If I reach that number, I think I’ll be
satisfied.
2/4/21 – I’ve done it! It took me far longer than I’d have expected or hoped, but I managed to
donate 10000 grains of rice! It wasn’t easy; it required me setting aside around 15 minutes each
day in a very packed schedule, but it feels incredible now that I’ve manged to actually
accomplish what I set out to achieve. I highly recommend this website to anyone who wants to
make a difference while simultaneously challenging their brain and can set aside a couple of
minutes every day.
Learning Outcome Reflection: The learning outcome I chose for this experience was Learning
Outcome 6, which reads “Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.”
I think I achieved this learning outcome since the whole aim of Freerice was to give common
people like me who may not necessarily have the resources to make an outright donation, a
way to still contribute and make a difference in the fight against global hunger, which most
certainly fits the description of a global issue.
“Write comprehensive reviews of books I’ve recently read on Goodreads in order to help
people who are thinking about buying/reading the book - Learning Outcome 2”
2/1/21 – I wrote a book review on Good Reads of Ready Player Two, the sequel to Ready Player
One. I was extremely excited to read Ready Player Two as soon as I had of it, as I had
thoroughly enjoyed reading Ready Player One. There’s something about the combination of
science-fiction, dystopian futures, and video games that just works. There’s also a wonderful
movie adaption of the book directed by Steven Spielberg. I highly recommend everyone who
hasn’t read the book or watched the movie to go and read and watch them! Just make sure to
read the book first. Unfortunately, Ready Player Two disappointed heavily for me, which I
discuss in my review. Not worth buying, in my opinion. What a sorry way to for this wonderful
concept to end.
14/1/21 – I recently reviewed another book, The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig. This is a
profound book, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It covers a topic that I think haunts all of us
from time to time: the what ifs in our lives, and the regret, guilt, and unhappiness associated
with them. It’s a book that I think all young people my age should read, as we’re trying to all
figure out what we want to do with our lives and who we want to become.
Learning Outcome Reflection: The learning outcome I chose for this experience was Learning
Outcome 2, which reads “Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new
skills in the
process.”
This CAS experience was certainly initially a challenge for me, as I had never ever reviewed a
book before, despite being a voracious reader. This idea of reviewing a book just after I read it
really helped me consolidate and reflect on my experience reading the book in question, and
also allowed me to develop an authentic voice in my writing that I hope reflects my ideals and
who I am.
