Summer of CAS

Summer can be a great time to take on a new CAS project. Here are some ideas of activities that you can do independently. For each activity, I will explain how you must document your involvement so that the activity can be included in your CAS portfolio.

Photo-A-Day Challenge - lots of info and inspiration on the internet HERE and HERE.
 - You must create a tumblr, Instagram, blogspot blog, scrapbook, where you collect the photos that you take. You must write comments on at least 10 photos about why you took that photo or what you liked/didn't like about the photo. YOU MUST TAKE at least 1 photo EVERY DAY!
Pick any subject that interests you or think of subject that relates to global issues like this one.

Create a Video - In order for this to be a CAS project, you have to improve your video editing skills and stretch yourself creatively. Here are some examples of students' CAS projects at other schools: http://bisbcas.blogspot.com/2011/08/unusual-creativity-projects.html
Stop Motion videos can be really cool: http://mashable.com/2010/05/29/stop-motion-videos/
This online movie editing application looks awesome: http://www.magisto.com/

Cooking Blog - Start a cooking blog and set a goal for how many posts you do. For example, you could set your goal of cooking 4 things and writing a blog post for each item that you cook. You should research a few cooking blogs to see different styles. You could look up recipes of foods that you want to cook and then post pictures of the cooking process and the finished product along with commentary on how you cooked it. You could ask a parent or other family member to teach you to cook some foods and document the experience with photos and commentary. Here are some great cooking blogs to give you inspiration.
http://www.saveur.com/article/blog/2013-Best-Food-Blog-Awards-Winners

And some of my personal favorites:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/
http://smittenkitchen.com/

Here are a couple of korean cooking blogs:
http://www.beyondkimchee.com/
http://bapstory.blogspot.com/

Here is a Filipino cuisine blog
http://blog.junbelen.com/tag/filipino-food/

Here is some general advice and tips of taking pics of food:
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/shoot-first-eat-later

GIN Film Festival

Create a film to submit at the 2012 Global Issues Network Conference in Singapore. You do not have to go to the conference to submit a 3 minute film in the GIN Film Festival.

Go HERE for all the information on how to participate.

Animation Creativity

Do you like to doodle and draw?

Start an animation club or get involved with Tuldok. This is a fun and unique CREATIVITY opportunity. You could create a short animation film, or you could mentor a middle school animation club and support young artists.

www.tuldokanimation.com

U.N. Day Speeches

If you are planning to participate in this activity, write a proposal!!!

Oh, the possibilities!!!

Just had a chat with my friend Sam, the Peace Corps volunteer, who some of you may remember from the leadership training we did last year. She said that CFSPI is eager to have volunteers come again to work with their girls.

When: Saturdays or Sundays for an hour or two
Where: Suello Village (ask Anito or Mrs. Maner)
Who is served: girls are age 7-17 and are mostly victims of abuse
Who serves: YOU, go with a classmate if you don't want to go by yourself
Transportation: you must provide your own transportation

ICT/Computer Lessons 
There are several computers and you could implement an ICT class with a small group of interested girls. I can help you plan and prepare for this.

Piano and Guitar Lessons
CFSPI has a piano and a couple of guitars that you could use to teach the girls music lessons.

Dance and Drama
Teach a play/skit/dance to a group of girls to help them improve their self-confidence and have fun. This is also an option.

English Conversation
Practice speaking English is another type of activity that would be good for the girls at CFSPI. This could be as formalized or informal as you wanted.

Homework Help
Most of the girls at CFSPI go to school and could use some tutoring and extra help with their homework. You could commit to helping them once a week.

Teaching Kids Science with Fun Experiments

This is just one of MANY fun and easy science experiments that you could do with a group of kids at CFSPI (Sam's NGO), a Gawad Kalinga site, Dreamer School, or Mabini Elementary.

The following is a screenshot from the website www.sciencebob.com/experiments.

The following is a screenshot from the website kids.nationalgeographic.com.

The following is a screenshot from the website www.squidoo.com.

The following is a screenshot from the website chemistry.about.com/od/madscientistlab.

Global Issues Network Conference

Similar to MUN, but different. This year's Global Issues Network conference will be held at International School Manila. If you initiate a GIN group at Brent, you can participate in the conference.

Click here to learn more: http://earcos-global-issues-network.org/

Check out the program from last year's GIN conference in Jakarta.

This year's conference speakers include these guys among others:

Slam Poetry Update

This is the format of the Slam Poetry competition at Mt. Coud Bookshop.


"Baguio is dead. Long live Baguio at 102!"

Sept 24, 2011 at Mt Cloud Bookshop, Casa Vallejo,Upper Session Rd, Baguio City.

Mechanics:

Round 1: Perform a Baguio Poem. Participants will be informed what poems may be performed for this round (check this page for updates).

Round 2: Contestants perform an original poem.

Round 3: Contestants will be given 10 minutes to write a poem they will perform. Topic to be determined by the judges.

Registration: P 100

Joint project of Mt Cloud Bookshop and the Baguio Writer's Group


Check the Mt. Cloud Facebook page for more details.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=255890361099280

Slam Poetry - CREATIVITY Opportunity

Image credit: lessonplanet.com

Can't sing? Try spoken word!

Just saw this post and thought that SLAM POETRY could be a great CAS Creativity opportunity. Mr. Wright says that he will be a supervisor if anyone wants to do this.

WHAT: Poetry Slam

WHEN: September 24 (but starting now)

WHERE: Mt. Cloud Bookshop

Watch this video: (seriously! she's awesome and it's really informative)


Want more inspiration?
Here are some awesome videos of the 2011 National Slam Poetry champions Slam Nuba:
"Volume Knob"
"Animals"
"What We've been Given"

Photography: Opportunity for CREATIVITY & SERVICE

365 Project
Taking one photo a day for a year with the purpose of improving photography skills and creatively documenting life.

• Why do Photo365 project? (and tips)
• 11 Tips to Succeed with Photo365 Project 
• Reflection of Photo365 Project experience by the guy who started it all
• Weekly Themes

Green Photography
See how photographers are using their images to raise awareness around environmental issues.

• Green Photography
• Chris Jordan Photographic Arts

Midway, Photo by Chris Jordan

Brent Broadcasting - CAS CREATIVITY

Korean International School has a pretty impressive weekly news broadcast. You could INITIATE a project like this at Brent Baguio.



Talk to me or Mr. Nichols to find out how to get involved.

Unusual Creativity Projects - Video Production

Today I announced the possibility of doing some kind of broadcasting and video production club for a CAS project. Please contact myself or Mr. Nichols if you are at all interested in learning about how to produce videos.

The following are all CAS projects of IB students at other schools that you might not have thought about.

Making a music video:


Making a dance music video:


Making a stop animation/claymation video:

Create a Website for Social Business

Attention economics, ITGS, and business management students (and any other interested parties)!

You know the youth center in Suello Village where Anito and Jasmine teach music and where Sam, the Peace Corps volunteer, works? Well, they also have a livelihood program for teenage boys who are trouble with the law. They learn how to make furniture in an apprentice program so that when they turn 18 years old, they don't have to return to a life of crime, they can get a job and earn a decent living.

Not the actual workshop but I imagine it looks similar but with teenagers working.

But, if I didn't know Sam, I would have no idea that there was a place in Baguio where I could go shop for furniture that would benefit youth in this way. In fact, I've still never seen the place or seen what kind of furniture they make.

Ugh! Can't find anything I'm looking for on the internet.

But if the furniture workshop had a website where people could see what their products are and where it is located and how to contact them, they could get some more business and make more money. Also, if the boys there learned how to manage a website, they would be that much more hirable when they leave the organization. Computer literacy will help them to find clients, buy raw materials, and market their products.

That's where Brent CAS students come in.

CAS Proposal: Create a website for furniture workshop NGO.

You can even use blogger like I did HERE. (Obviously this sucks but I spent about 5 minutes creating it.) You would spend a couple of months.

This could be a great real, physical accomplishment that would benefit others in the community. It is CREATIVITY and SERVICE.

Let me know if you are interested and I can help you set this up.

Worried that you don't have the skills to create a website? Like I said, you can use blogger (and everyone knows how to use blogger) and if you can google a question and watch youtube video tutorials, then you can do this!

Raising Chickens for the Environment and Better Health

There is a town in Belgium whose city government gives out two chickens to every interested household as part of the city's integrated waste management system. Hard to believe? Read this.

Image by grandmasandy+chuck

Last I heard was Baguio had a trash problem. What if a CAS student at Brent wanted to do a project where they learned how to take care of a small (2-4) flock of chickens as a way of promoting local, pesticide-free and organic food (eggs) and at the same time diverting biodegradable garbage that would take up space in an already over capacity landfill???

Image by ap

Adult sponsorship and materials will not be a challenge if you are interested in this project. You will almost certainly GROW in areas of creativity, problem solving, commitment, perseverance, and ingenuity. You will also grow in your appreciation and knowledge of agriculture and farming, the environment and sustainable living.

CAS Opportunity for Musicians

What do you think about this statement?

"Music is the best medicine in the world."

The organizations Musicians on Call in the US and Music in Hospitals in the UK demonstrate a profound service possibility for musicians. I invite you to watch the videos and explore the websites. Maybe some of you will be inspired to create something like this in Baguio. (By the way, there could be plenty of opportunities for non-musicians to be involved with the organizational aspect of something like this even if they are not involved with the performance aspect.)

Musicians on Call


Music in Hospitals

Creativity + Community