FINAL REFLECTION
The time has come to finally reflect on my CAS adventure as a whole. It is a truly strange feeling to be closing the International Baccalaureate chapter in my life - it feels as if it just started a few weeks ago. On the other hand, looking at all my CAS reflections, it is fair to say that the amount of activities that I had participated in these past two years is a great representation of the development and growth I have experienced as an individual.
Not only have I tried a lot of new things but I also got a chance to improve and build on the things I have always been passionate about. I think this can be best visualised in the Learning Outcomes I meticulously noted down together with my reflections. I can now gladly say that I have achieved all of them throughout these two years, although some certainly more than others. Most importantly, I am really glad to see that I had successfully dealt with a number of challenges thanks to which I could develop new skills and abilities, such as public-speaking or effective team-working. I am also very happy about the fact that a lot of the things I have done reflect my engagement in issues of global significance since this kind of global mindset is of a huge value to me.
Furthermore, linking all that I have done to the IB Learner Profile, I have to admit that it would not be easy to become an exemplary IB student without the help of CAS. I think I already suspected the importance of CAS in that respect when I came up with my CAS blog name, which is: ‘cas is balance’. I couldn’t be more right! Being balanced and principled is crucial if one is to survive the amount of work and studying in the IB. Thanks to CAS, I was somehow “pushed” to still do things for myself; things that help me relax, unwind and develop. Moreover, I think even keeping track of everything I have been up to as part of my CAS activities makes me a reflective thinker and a great communicator. And since most of my CAS activities were somehow related to being exposed to different cultures, this surely contributed to my open-mindedness and caring nature. Through the various conferences I had attended, such as the Model United Nations, I grew to be a knowledgeable inquirer that continues to learn about the world around him even in his free time. Last but not least, trying a lot of new things required a lot of courage and stepping outside of my comfort zone, which I think are the principal characteristics of a risk-taker.
Thinking back at the goals I had set for myself two years ago, I would probably say that they were successfully achieved. I am especially glad that I was able to continue being an active volunteer in CISV International, which is definitely an activity that took up most of my spare time these past two years, but also that I was not discouraged to try many new things that I hoped to explore - such as the European Youth Parliament. However, there are certain aspects of my CAS adventure that I would have done differently if I had a chance. For instance, I did not devote enough time for sports and being physically active - I did many little things but I didn’t find this one sport that I could truly call my passion and that would win my heart as much as for example CISV. Because of that, I lacked the motivation to be fully persistent in any sports activity. Sadly, I also had to abandon a great hobby of mine - acting. Even though I consider my time-management abilities to be really good, I could not incorporate everything into my IB routine and hence, I had to give up being part of a drama club that had been a big part of my life before high school.
Despite those slight changes to how I imagined my CAS adventure to be, I surely gained a lot from the many activities I undertook throughout these two years. I think most of it can be best-reflected in my Learning Outcomes and in the way I managed to become more like the IB Learner Profile. Before doing CAS, my great weakness was giving up on many of my passions in favour of my studies. I always prioritised gaining knowledge over extra-curricular activities but thanks to CAS I learnt that knowledge and developing as a person can actually both be achieved through sparing some time for one’s favourite activities. The amount of abilities and skills I gained from CAS is probably impossible to summarise. My new skills range from performing as a scarecrow in a theatre to significantly improving my skiing abilities. I think I have developed both physically and creatively, but most importantly, intellectually. Thanks to my active participation in MUNs, EYP or CISV, I have become a very conscious citizen with strong opinions and I also learnt to think more critically.
I am sure that all those new skills and abilities will become especially useful in my future life and career. Starting from the very obvious, being a skilled leader and public-speaker in combination with good collaborative-skills and time-management abilities opens many new doors. Despite that, I believe the things I have done for CAS have shaped me to such an extent that one of my biggest dreams right now is to pursue a career in diplomacy and to be able to contribute to a change in the world around me. This is definitely an attitude I developed thanks to volunteering in CISV, which can also be considered as the activity that had the largest impact on me by allowing me to take up leadership positions, have an impact on my local community, gain knowledge and to learn how to organise different events.
On a similar note, there are certain activities that I am most proud of. Perhaps number one in this category would be representing Poland at the 86th Session of the European Youth Parliament in Tbilisi. That is because being there I realised that I truly belong to this network of young active Europeans. Moreover, being selected to this conference was a real reward since I had to attend a number of other smaller conferences to finally find myself at the top -which is an excellent evidence of my perseverance in CAS experiences. I am also very proud of chairing the Katowice Model United Nations twice. This can not only be pinned down as the most rewarding but also the most challenging experience. It was a very serious role to be holding and it allowed me to challenge myself to the maximum. But once all the obstacles were overcome, I could not be more proud and happy about the outcome of the conference.
Taking all these reflections to an even more personal level, I think CAS really allowed me to organise my priorities and values. It naturally happened that I learnt what kind of activities are most important to me and which I find less pleasant. I learnt many things about myself, my many strengths and weaknesses. I realised that I feel most comfortable when working with others, discussing things and coming up with creative solutions to problems. And then again, I feel the most empowered when I am able to undertake leadership positions, deliver speeches and generally be in charge of things. Those realisations really made me look at my future in a different light. I think CAS somehow allowed me to find “my place” on the vast spectrum of different personalities and now I can begin to implement my new abilities on a path to achieving my new goals and objectives - now mostly shifted from my personal growth to the growth of others around me.