Creativity, Activity, Service
ICARE is Service — collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community to meet an authentic need.
Type of service: Direct. Student interaction involves people, the environment or animals — for example, one-on-one tutoring, developing a garden in partnership with a community, or working in an animal shelter.
Community-based service. Taking part in service within the local community advances student awareness and understanding of social issues and solutions.
The five stages of CAS
- Investigation: Students participate in social analysis of a selected issue.
- Preparation: Students design a service plan appropriate to the identified need.
- Action: Students implement the plan through direct service, indirect service, advocacy, or research.
- Reflection: Students examine their thoughts, feelings and actions applied to the context of self, community and the world.
- Demonstration: Students make explicit what and how they learned and what they have accomplished, for example, by sharing their service experience through their CAS portfolio or with others in an informal or formal manner.
The seven IB CAS learning outcomes
- Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
- Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
- Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
- Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
- Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
- Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions