Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)

At UWC, we’ll encourage you to explore your creativity and channel what matters into art, dance, photography, music and other media through co-curricular activities, workshops and school events. Whether you want to engage in creative activities to get loud and make your voice heard or develop a creative practice for quiet mindfulness, you will have plenty of choices at your fingertips.

We explore the culture and craft of our local areas and give you the confidence to perform and play with others. This might involve taking to the stage for theatre or dance, learning about art history, writing for the student paper, visiting cultural sites, or performing for your school community and beyond. Creativity also plays an important role in design thinking for social impact, something UWC seeks to develop in all of its students and that deeply connects with the Service component of CAS.

Activity

Every UWC school draws from the community around it and that applies to sport and physical activity as well.

“It’s not just about competition. If you want to play basketball at another school, you might have to be really good. But at UWC, if you’re really good, you teach other people so they can play too. It’s an environment in which you learn, and learn that it’s okay to fail, and that gives you the opportunity to try.”

Saijai Liangpunsakul (Pearson College UWC, 2006-2008)

You have the opportunity to play many of the sports you grew up loving, from football to basketball and tennis. Many of our students also make regular use of gym facilities for cardio and strength training, while all UWCs have regular access to on- or off-campus swimming facilities.

Outdoor education plays a key role in a UWC education, so we make full use of the environments around our schools. Depending on the school or college you attend, this could mean kayaking and sailing in the ocean or local lakes, hiking amidst mountains and tropical forests, exploring winter sports in locations that experience snowfall, or simply finding time for quiet contemplation on nature walks.

Activity and exercise are not only crucial in bringing UWC values such as personal challenge and mutual responsibility to life, they are also key in maintaining balance and wellbeing in a busy and stimulating environment. Beyond the four walls of an indoor gym, they also give us a chance to explore our surroundings, connect with nature and truly experience the world around us.

Service

We aim to make sure that every student realises that they can use their education to make a difference, and take local action towards global issues. That goes beyond the taught curriculum and is part of everyday life.

“I suppose that’s something I’ve been carrying around with me since UWC: This energy to push for things, even when they’re tough or go against the status quo.”

Luísa Gonçalves (UWC-USA, 2008-2010)

At UWC, our classes encourage students to identify changes they can make in the world. It allows them to consider how they can act to improve lives, both as individuals, and together.

Every year, we see students set up projects and initiatives that tackle issues head-on, from waste recycling and renewable energy to community dialogue and education. We see people leave with the confidence to stand up for what they believe in and the skills to turn ideas into tangible actions and initiatives.

Our schools and colleges have long-standing service partnerships with local organisations, enabling students to learn key skills for community impact by doing. The nature of service opportunities will naturally vary based on the location of a particular UWC, as the needs of surrounding communities can be vastly different. Many new service projects emerge every year as a result of student initiatives. They may serve either the host community of the school, or students’ own communities back home.

At UWC, students take periodic breaks from regular classes to dive into “Project week” or a “focus day” – a dedicated time for hands-on learning in a project they care about. Whether working individually or in teams, students design and carry out projects that reflect their interests and values, often exploring themes like sustainability, community service, creativity, or intercultural understanding. These are a key part of UWC’s experiential learning approach, giving students the space to take initiative, collaborate, and put their ideas into action in real-world settings

Find out which co-curricular activities each school can offer