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Italy Pitches was created by John Cabot University and the JCU Institute for Entrepreneurship, building on the tremendous success of JCU's Italy Reads and Italy Writes programs. It started as a national, English-language pitch competition for Italian high-school students, focusing on a 1-minute advocacy pitch for a nonprofit. It has evolved to incorporate video-making skills and to expand the reach of students’ work.
The overall objective of this program is to show young people how to find their voice and train it to bring about social change. Participating students will be introduced to concepts such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), creating shared value (CSV), and impact investing. They will also learn how to construct an advocacy narrative, and how to translate it visually using digital skills.
Participating students will select an Italian organization with a strong corporate social responsibility and will create an advocacy video that will effectively promote the values the organization stands for.
The project is articulated as a 30-hour self-administered program that will cover the following topics:
An advocacy video-pitch is a short video used to quickly convey the urgency for action towards one or more specific goals, using words, sounds and images to persuade the viewers to take action. Widely used for networking and fund-raising, pitching and video-pitching are learnable skills that generate confidence and empower students to change their world.
Participating Teachers can introduce Italy Pitches as part of the activities they develop in the classroom: students will select an organization with a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility and will produce a 2-minute video-pitch showcasing the company’s work to create social good.
In order to prepare the video-pitch, students will first have to complete the online program, specifically:
Students can work individually or in groups, under the guidance of their teachers/tutors.
At the end of the program, students will submit their videos to JCU following the instructions provided in the online program. These videos will in turn be judged by a qualified jury. All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation, and a valuable Prize will be awarded to the best video-pitch. The winning videos in each category (company) will receive a €100 Amazon voucher.
A successful video-pitch will:
The technical criteria for selection include:
Students who take part in Italy Pitches will:
Italy Pitches is designed to be a very flexible tool that can help participating teachers apply a variety of themes taught in the classroom in a stimulating, engaging way.
Participating teachers will automatically become Friends of the Institute and will be invited to other events related to Entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the year.
All fourth-year students enrolled in participating Italian high schools qualify. The high schools joining the program for the first time may also register fifth year students.
Studenti possono registrarsi tramite il loro docente e/o Tutor PCTO compilando il Modulo Unico per la Registrazione (Docenti).
This project qualifies as 30 hours for Percorsi per le Competenze e per l'Orientamento (PCTO) (ex Alternanza Scuola Lavoro - ASL), broken down as follows:
N.B.: In order to participate in Italy Pitches as part of PCTO, and have these hours certified, an agreement between the high school and JCU must be stipulated prior to the start of the activity. Find out if your school has signed an agreement. Take a look at the map Impact of Programs for High Schools where partner schools are indicated.
Please contact [email protected] for details.
Deadline to sign up: 3 February
Deadline to complete the online program and submit Final Cuts: 14 April
Popular selection: 18-20 April
Final Awards: 23 April.
How do I confirm participation?
Teachers should register their class(es) by January 25th, 2019, by emailing [email protected].
Does Italy Pitches qualify for Alternanza Scuola Lavoro?
Yes, the project qualifies as 10 hours towards ASL. However, the high school must first sign an Agreement with John Cabot University. Please confirm with [email protected] that your school has signed an ASL at JCU Agreement.
Will JCU issue Certificates of Participation?
Yes, JCU will issue certificates of participation to both teachers and students.
Will teachers get some training?
There will be a pitching workshop at JCU and teachers can contact the Institute for additional information.
Who can participate?
Students in their 4th year only. An exception can be made for students in their 5th year if the school is participating in the program for the first time.
Is there a cap on the number of students that can participate from each school?
The total number of students that can take part in the final pitch is 80. We will allocate these slots among schools once we know how many teachers plan to participate.
When is the final event going to be held?
For day, time and venue of the final event see the Italy Pitches page.
What will the prize be?
The first prize is a voucher to attend JCU’s Summer Camp 2018.
Do we need to bring the entire class for the workshop?
No, teachers with a representative group of students may take part and then share the information with the others.
Can we pre-select the better students to participate?
Yes, this decision rests with the teachers.
Should students work individually or in groups?
Students may work individually or in groups, as the teacher prefers. The pitch has been structured very simply to enable teachers to use it in the way that best fits their pedagogical goals.
Can our students get a better idea of how the Elevator Pitch works?
Teachers and students will be invited to the JCU Elevator Pitch Competition, where undergraduates will be delivering their pitches.
Will the jury ask questions?
No, students will only have to deliver their pitch.
Can the pitch be for a business idea?
No, we have to create a common playing field for all participants. However, should a teacher identify students who have a business idea, we can make a special arrangement and invite them to participate in the JCU Elevator Pitch Competition.
Can students base their pitch on an imaginary organization or should it be real?
No, in order to be effective the pitch must refer to a real organization.
Is the competition only and exclusively for students from 4th year?
Yes. Students in the 3rd year can plan to take part next year.
"The Italy Pitches Program is a great opportunity to learn how to speak in public. It's a really difficult skill which can be acquired using the techniques the JCU Institute for Entrepreneurship teaches."
- Cinzia Solfiti, teacher at I.I.S. "Margherita Hack" (ret.)
Martina Fantinelli, Raffaele Salari, and Alice Fattori, Class III L (Professor Giulia Gatticchi) at Liceo Scientifico Statale "Giovanni Keplero", Rome (RM), for Salvatore Ferragamo.
Karol Passari and Angelica Farris, Class III B (Professor Roberta Barni) at IIS Eliano Luzzatti, Palestrina (RM), for Poste Italiane.
Giulia Tirapelle, Olimpia Maria Vittoria Perugini, and Aurora Merlini, Class I E, (Professor Marina Schiaroli) at IIS Classico Artistico - Liceo Classico G. C. Tacito, Terni (TR), for Barilla.
Emma Ariel Di Matteo, Class III BLC (Professor Anna Ferrari) at IIS Via delle Sette Chiese, Roma (RM), for Barilla.
Emma Biancucci and Aurora Sportoletti, Class IV N (Professor Maria Rita Mastronardi) at IIS Via delle Scienze, Colleferro (RM), for Arcor.
Alessandro Barbieri, Valerio Belluzzi, and Lorenzo Tomassi, Class III L (Professor Giulia Gatticchi) at Liceo Scientifico Statale "Giovanni Keplero", Rome (RM), for Poste Italiane.
Maria Prosperi, Maria Elena Valeri, and Martina Valeri, Class IV O (Professor Silvia Bartolomei) at IIS Via delle Scienze, Colleferro (RM), for Salvatore Ferragamo.
Dawid Antuszewski and Matteo Minale, Class III L (Professor Giulia Gatticchi) at Liceo Scientifico Statale "Giovanni Keplero", Rome (RM), for Piaggio.
Honorable Mention for performance on social media goes to Iulia Elena Danaila, Stefano Del Mastro, and Mattia Zinno, Class III L (Professor Giulia Gatticchi) at Liceo Scientifico Statale "Giovanni Keplero", Rome (RM), for Barilla.
Elena Croce, Mattia Vallelonga, and Tommaso Bezzi, Class IVE, Liceo Scientifico Statale "Giovanni Keplero", Rome, for Enel Green Power.
Francesca Iezzi and Lavinia Domiziani, Class IIIE, Liceo Scientifico Statale "Giovanni Keplero", Rome, for Poste Italiane.
Sofia Ammendolia, Agnese Bordoni, and Camilla Maccabei, Class IE, IIS Classico Artistico - Liceo Classico G.C. Tacito - Terni, for Salvatore Ferragamo.
Andrea Polsi, Davide Pucarelli, and Luca Baldarelli, Class IIIL, Liceo Scientifico Statale "Giovanni Keplero", Rome, for Piaggio.
