CAS Activities

Seafront Service is a group that are trying to rejuvenate the seafront in terms of tidying and keeping up maintenance on the seafront. They get involved in activities including organising the stock to work out what can/can’t be used; as well as revamping the changing rooms and facilities It’s not all hard work though, they also have some fun along the way by doing some activities, such as a dip in the sea or taking part in surfboard races in the outdoor pool. 

The PPE service gives students the chance to experience what it is like to work in an office environment within a fundraising department. Students get involved in a range of activities including arranging a fundraising event for students, writing copy for social media and newsletters as well as updating the database and supporting the department to keep their records in good order.

As part of the trial for the Changemaker Curriculum which had launched at the College, students can choose to take this option as part of their service. The idea for the course came from the concept of ‘uprootedness’ and many people are less connected to nature than ever before. The course uses art to break down the barrier between humanity and nature by getting the students to focus on and think about the natural world by developing the skill of paying close attention to the world around them. This is a transferable skill that students can use wherever they find themselves in the world.

New4You is an option students can select as part of their CAS. There are currently six students and one staff member working on this project which is a very busy service!  

The Swapshop started as a student initiative with bags of clothes flooding the main area 3 years ago. Now it is an attractive teenager secondhand shop which is a great help for full scholarship students with some free clothes or by donating £1 for the Student Hardship Fund. The clothes come from donations, end of year items left behind stuff (like stationery, toiletries, decorations, towels, bedding, sports clothes, warm clothes and shoes).

The shop is also called the “The little house of sustainability" which is an integral part of the school mission and teaches students to find value in recycling, reusing and upcycling clothes.

Besides offering clothes, the service supports art projects, festivals, participated in Christmas Fairs and supports other services like helping refugees or collecting bras for a charity.

The shop received a great support from the "Campus Volunteers" who generously redesigning the interior and gave it a brand new name: New4You.

Last year the students operated a successful Repair Cafe during Project week and helped other students repair their clothes which were faulty or damaged in some way.

This year the shop has become extremely successful and popular among the students. From the end of September until December more than 2000 items have been handed out, 500 items for free and the rest has raised £1,452 for the Students Hardship Fund. 

The shop is open every Saturday and Sunday 2-4pm. The different sales are tailored to the seasons and to the different events happening on campus (like balls, conferences etc).

Photos below by Joan Bessem, UWCA'22

The Gardening Service is a really valuable session that takes place each week. They help the Estates team to keep our campus looking beautiful by tidying up beds, planting flowers and making sure our gardens remain in good condition. 

Photo by Joan Bessem, UWCA'22

Growers & Harvesters is based in the Valley. The group tidy up and clear the area to maintain easy access as well as do weeding and prepare the soil ready for harvesting. Some of the fruit and vegetables they grow include pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumber, chard, spinach and beans which is given to the kitchen to use when cooking for the College community. 

Photos by Joan Bessem, UWCA'22

As part of the trial for the Changemaker Curriculum which had launched at the College, students can choose to take this option as part of their service. The session help students to understand the importance of ocean and coastal systems and the need for us to work symbiotically, rather than exploitatively, with and within this precious environment. 

As UWC Atlantic is based on the shoreline of the world’s second highest tidal range, it is the perfect place for developing this course which will include Ocean & Climate Systems, Human Impact on the Ocean and Mitigation and Harnessing Sustainable Resources as core units.

Photos by Joan Bessem, UWCA'22

As part of the trial for the Changemaker Curriculum which had launched at the College, students can choose to take this option as part of their service. The Unit aims to develop in students an appreciation of the role data plays in an increasingly technological world, to expose them to an exciting emerging discipline and related fields and careers and to provide them a platform to build upon their skills independently in the future. 

Photos by Devi Yuliarti, UWCA'22

Calisthenics is a form of exercise that uses your own bodyweight to improve your strength. What is so fantastic about practicing calisthenics is that it requires no equipment, which means it is great for keeping up your fitness when you are travelling, which our students love to do.

Led by French teacher Nic Janvier, the calisthenics group meets every Monday afternoon at 4pm. They take part in a variety of warm ups to get their body moving before launching into activities. These include activities such as push ups, crunches and burpees. 

Students of all abilities are involved in the activity as an integral part of calisthenics is that you can make it as easy or as difficult as you like. This can be varying the amount of repetitions of an exercise you do or doing certain exercises assisted. Each student has a book which they write their goals for the term and the exercises they do in. This shows them how much they progress in the space of a few weeks.

Tai-Chi combines deep breathing and relaxation with flowing movements. Originally developed as a martial art in 13th-century China, tai chi is now practised around the world. It is well known for its health and wellbeing benefits. Students meet on a weekly basis as part of their creative activity and develop skills. It’s a great way of unwinding after a busy week at the College.

Zumba is a fitness program that combines Latin and international music with dance moves. Zumba routines incorporate interval training — alternating fast and slow rhythms — to help improve cardiovascular fitness. It is a great way of getting fit as well as lots of fun too. Again students meet on a weekly basis to take part in this activity.

Floorball is an exciting form of indoor hockey that really raises the heart rate! Led by UWC Atlantic Principal Peter Howe in the Sports Hall on Wednesdays, sessions revolve around a number of games that get everyone into the competitive spirit. 

The game is played with plastic hockey sticks and a perforated plastic ball and the aim of the game is simple, get the ball in the small goals! It is a difficult game to get to grips with to begin with, but students soon master it and develop a lot during the course of a year.

At UWC Atlantic, we are lucky to have such an expansive campus, which gets fully utilised by the natural fitness activity. The aim of the activity is to improve everyone’s fitness without having to rely on lots of equipment. 

A common activity for the session is to go on barefoot runs around the campus, across the fields and through the woods. This really helps students make a connection with the environment. They also regularly utilise the seafront area, doing press ups on the shoreline or carrying big pieces of wood that has washed up to the land. It definitely is not an activity for the faint of heart, but everyone who takes part thoroughly enjoys it.

Basketball is an exciting team sport in which two teams, usually five players each, compete against each other with the primary goal of shooting the basketball in the defender's hoop.

Students learn skills and play games. It's a great form of exercise and excellent for wellbeing.

Photos by Joan Bessem, UWCA'22.

Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players. Students meet on a weekly basis and play games and practice their skills. It is an excellent sport to improve fitness and enjoy the outdoors at the same time.

Photos by Joan Bessem, UWCA'22

Fighting fit is a mix of martial arts (kickboxing, boxing, combat TaiChi, Jujuitsu and Karate) and fitness sessions. It takes place each week and students meet in the Dance Studio to participate.

It's a great way of keeping fit and fantastic for health and wellbeing too! 

Media Productions (also called FLASH and ACtion) is a Creative activity that students can sign up to as part of their core co-curricular. Here they take photos and create videos to showcase life at the College, our beautiful campus as well as events and activities our students get involved in.

Ceramics is the art of using clay to make pots and other objects. Students meet on a weekly basis and work on different projects. It's a great outlet for creativity that has both physical and mental benefits as it allows the students to express themselves by creating something. 

Photos by Joan Bessem, UWCA'22

The Digitize AC group meet once a week and sort through old photos and slides that have been stored in the archive for many years. The aim is to scan and label them in order to create a digital archive and give access to these valuable memories to the UWC Atlantic community.

Photos by Claudia Valarino, UWCA Staff

The knitting creative activity is a chance for students to relax, develop a new skill and maybe even knit something nice to keep themselves warm in the cold Welsh weather! The group meets in the Moondance Sports Hall cafe, making the most of the comfy sofas there. Knitting is a very mindful activity (once you've got the hang of it!), so all the students thoroughly enjoy and feel relaxed after a session.

INK is UWC Atlantic's long running student-run newspaper. Students in this creative activity are involved in every step of the newspaper creation process. They come up with all of the story ideas, research them and finally write them. Those stories are then edited by the team of student editors and then can be published online and in print.

For 21 years running, a collection of students support this annual global event to support a truly worthwhile UWC mission-aligned cause. They get their clippers out and shave heads in support of Amnesty International - a non-governmental organisation with a mission "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated”.

Photos by Alwien Koster, UWCA'22