The Yew Chung International School of Beijing recently hosted its annual Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS) Fair for current and rising International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) students. The fair offered a wide variety of opportunities to help students in Secondary School pursue their CAS Experience, an integral part of their journey to global citizenship at the Yew Chung International School of Beijing.

Creativity, Action, and Service

As one of the three components of the IBDP’s core, CAS contributes a great deal to the curriculum’s holistic approach to learning and education, which in turn aligns with YCIS’s own Philosophy & Objectives. The purpose of CAS is to enhance personal and interpersonal student learning as well as increase engagement with wider societal issues.  The programme gives students the opportunity to develop their independence and demonstrate that they are capable of taking the values and abilities instilled by the school beyond the classroom. Through these real-world applications and projects, students are better equipped to achieve their goals as well as succeed in their future academic careers and beyond.

CAS Enhanced at YCIS Beijing

At YCIS Beijing, students are not just required but wholeheartedly encouraged by their teachers to engage in this aspect of the IBDP. The CAS Fair held annually in September is the primary example of this, with a number of local charities, clubs, and organizations flocking to YCIS Beijing to attract students eager to get involved in the local community. Attendees this year included the Migrant Children’s Foundation, the internationally recognized Roots and Shoots Programme, the Starfish Project, and Chinese cultural exchange centre The Hutong. In addition to these opportunities, teachers are involved at every step of the process to offer feedback and support as well as relevant Co-Curricular Activities for interested students.

CAS in Action

CAS students at YCIS Beijing are known for seizing their volunteer opportunities enthusiastically . This past year, students in Year 12 were particularly involved in charity opportunities. David Tso, seeking to bring the school community together for a cause close to his heart, organized the first annual Fund Run on Global Community Day. At the end of the school year, a group of dedicated students held a charity dinner and art auction for the local Yu Hua orphanage for disabled children, raising over 4000 RMB in the process.

The CAS Programme is vitally important to YCIS Beijing not just because it is a requirement of the IBDP; rather, it is a clear manifestation of the character and spirit with which we seek to imbue each one of our students.

You can learn more about our Character Education Programme here, or visit our news page for more YCIS Beijing articles here.