While school clubs and in-person projects may be restricted by COVID-19, there are many ways you can stay busy during quarantine. Remember: CAS activities don’t have to be grand! Small hobbies you do at home definitely count too.
If you have more ideas, leave them in the comments!
At-home CAS activities
12. Cooking
Your family will appreciate it if you cultivate your cooking and baking skills! It’s easier than you think, and can create some great pictures for your CAS reflections. Follow recipes on YouTube, and keep track your progress.
11. Workouts
Set yourself goals to achieve, using YouTube workout videos, a treadmill, or anything you find in the space you have available. You can join virtual fitness classes to exercise at the same time as other people. Katie, IBlieve Co-founder, recommends Chloe Ting’s workout challenges! Trina, IBlieve HSA, lists her favourite YouTube workouts here.
10. Interior design
If there was ever a time to redesign your living spaces, this is it. Even just decorating your wall with well thought-out pictures or colour coordinating your side of your bedroom could count!
9. Gardening
For those of you lucky enough to have a garden, try your hand at growing flowers or vegetables. You could even just keep some flowers or watercress on a windowsill!
Online creativity
8. Learning a language
Duolingo is a great app to start learning a new language. There are also apps to talk to people from the country, so you can make new friends as well. Ada, IBlieve mentor, recommends learning International Sign Language! Imogen really likes Tandem to improve your foreign language conversational skills.
7. Online clubs
Orchestras, bands, and choirs have moved online. Make friends and keep up your creative side!
6. Learning
There are so many online courses you could take or talks you can go to. Have a search around your interests. Trina lists some of her favourites here. Imogen really enjoyed the Justice online course at Harvard X.
Virtual volunteering
5. Teaching
There are many schemes where you can voluntarily tutor people online. Vansh, IBlieve Events Lead, recommends Reach for the Stars. Deborah, IBlieve Events Lead, has tutored with CampCOVID.
4. Support
Micaela, IBlieve student, has been writing calming and joyful letters to nursing homes. You may be able to do something similar! Priyasha, IBlieve Community Lead, suggests baking for frontline workers or donating masks.
3. Virtual internships
These are harder to come by, but there are opportunities to do virtual internships. Look for opportunities on Forage, Am4teens, and InternNet.
CAS project ideas
2. Start a social media project
Create an Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to be creative and support a cause you believe in. Vansh, IBlieve Events Lead, suggests creating videos to appreciate healthcare workers. Priyasha, IBlieve Community Lead, recommends starting an online project to share your talents, such as sharing poetry or recipes.
1. Virtual events
Organise virtual events for your school peers. Give talks among your friends, invite people to come speak, start a discussion, or hold a debate. Priyasha and Vansh recommend joining Model UN conferences.
0. Write or create
Priyasha suggests submitting writing or artwork to blogs or publications. There are lots of places for young people to have a voice on social media! Katie suggests starting a podcast or filming a home-made documentary.
You may also like…
- Tyus’s ideas for how to CAS in the pandemic
- Trina’s list of online CAS activities
- The Community Spotlight section of IBlieve’s newsletters highlights our team’s favourite projects and activities.