Aimed at third and fourth-year students enrolled in Italian high schools, Italy Starts was created by the JCU Institute for Entrepreneurship as part of the MIUR Alternanza Scuola Lavoro. Participating JCU/partner university students (Mentors) volunteer to be connected to Italian High School Students (Mentees) to solve real business problems or develop business models for their business or social venture idea. Mentees will be required to deliver a short PowerPoint presentation at the end of the program.
Mentors are expected to guide the meetings and help Mentees structure their projects, including helping with sources of information for the research, feedback on assignments and progress, as well as encouragement throughout. Mentors should have some knowledge of business planning, marketing, and elevator pitches. JCU professionals have produced the content of the program and will assist in the first class so as to set up the framework of expectations as well as review helpful resources.
Mentees will interact with Mentors, courteously and professionally at all times, mindful of the Mentor’s commitment and dedication to the program; this includes thorough preparation, completing the home assignments as instructed by the Mentors. Mentees will also keep a diary of each encounter, which will be submitted at the end of the project together with the presentation.
The overall objective of this program is to encourage cross-cultural learning between undergraduate students who have had some training in entrepreneurship or business, and Italian high school students, within the broad spectrum of entrepreneurship-focused mentoring.
Our vision is of a community where mentoring and befriending can empower young people to reach their full potential, as well as provide a wider benefit for the climate at JCU and participating schools, by helping to reduce conflict and promote self-esteem. Peer mentoring fits well with JCU’s and partner schools’ policy initiatives such as participation, community service, and volunteering.
The program is structured as weekly online meetings over a 6-week period. During this period, mentees, assisted by mentors, develop a business model and a presentation for their idea (business or social venture). Mentees will have additional preparatory meetings (obligatory) in December before the program kick-off meeting.
There is an obligatory Onboarding Session in December for all participants.
High School Students will learn to:
Mentors (participating JCU/partner university students) will benefit by:
Italy Starts is designed to be a self-administered program. Resources such as articles, videos, and other useful materials will be provided. Teachers are asked to select students to participate based on their interest in the program and their English language skills. They will be collaborating online with non-Italian speakers. Once the onboarding sessions are completed, teachers are not directly involved with the delivery of Italy Starts, yet your students will certainly have ideas to share about their experience.
When you register for Italy Starts, you agree to actively participate in all the meetings and activities with the team to which you will be assigned. Your team of high school students (4-6 people) (Mentees) will be working with university Mentors who will guide you in your discovery of how to realize an idea for a business or social venture. You will need a Gmail account to access the program.
The following are illustrative examples of how the program can be adopted by a Partner University, based on real cases:
Italy Starts 2021 saw the transition of the program to online delivery. Increasingly international in reach, Italy Starts has had 183 Mentors from Partner Universities in the U.S., Argentina, Armenia, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Lebanon mentored nearly 500 high school students from across Italy.
This project qualifies as 40 hours for PCTO (Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l'Orientamento, ex Alternanza Scuola Lavoro), broken down as follows:
Mentor-Mentee meetings: 10 hours
Preparation, research and home assignments: 30 hours
Mentees, High School students - contact your teacher and/or PCTO Tutor to register or write to [email protected]. JCU reserves the right to select participants.
Mentors, current JCU or partner university students - fill in the Application Form for University Student Mentors. JCU reserves the right to select participants.
FIRST PRIZE
500 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Wild Wonders: Collectibles and Adventure”, a startup idea for educational resources to promote Environmental Awareness. These interactive games and collectible items fosters fun ways to learn, play and protect Nature.
The team was composed of students from Class III B at IIS Luigi Einaudi, Rome and Class IV at Istituto Scuola San Giuseppe al Casaletto, Rome. Their Mentor was from the American University of Armenia.
SECOND PRIZE
300 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Hawaiki Rising Studios”, a startup idea for an online action-adventure game that explores the devastating impacts of climate change on Pacific island communities. The aim of this game is to educate through immersive gameplay and combat. The team also created a website for their project.
The team was composed of students from Class III BE at Liceo Classico Europeo Marco Foscarini, Venice; Class IV at Istituto Scuola San Giuseppe al Casaletto, Rome; and Class V L at Liceo Classico Giosuè Carducci, Milan. Their Mentors were from the American University of Armenia and from John Cabot University.
THIRD PRIZE
100 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Bravo+”, a startup idea that is an App to make it easier for Eco-conscious people to manage their daily tasks while adopting greener habits. Using an integrated AI chatbot and partnerships with sustainable brands, users benefit from suggestions and an award system.
The team was composed of students from Class IV C and IV H at Liceo Classico Statale Giosuè Carducci, Milan; Class III D at Liceo Statale Mazzini, Naples and Liceo Scientifico Statale "M. Curie" di Pinerolo, Torino. Their Mentor was from the American University of Armenia.
SPECIAL MENTION
Special Mention for Urban Improvement goes to Team “Smart Sort Collective” that developed a startup idea for an innovative waste-management system that utilizes high-resolution LED screen display and sensors to monitor collection bins and reduce overfill and subsequent disarray of urban waste.
The team was composed of students from Class IIIL and IV F at Liceo Blaise Pascal, Pomezia; Class III and IV at Istituto Scuola San Giuseppe al Casaletto, Rome and from Class III R at IIS Luigi Einaudi, Rome. Their Mentor was from John Cabot University.
SPECIAL MENTIONS were recognized for:
Urban Improvement: Team “Smart Sort Collective”.
New Product Development: Team “Wild Wonders: Collectibles and Adventure”, which was also awarded 1st place prize.
Responsible Consumption: Team “Bravo+”, which was also awarded 3rd place prize.
FIRST PRIZE
300 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Spatches,” a startup idea for sustainable fashion by transforming discarded garments and fabric scraps into stylish, unique clothing. “Spatches” is committed to reducing textile waste and promoting environmental responsibility through innovative upcycling techniques. The team was composed of students from Class 3 at Liceo Classico Statale “G. Carducci,” in Milan. Their mentors were Giorgia Cinaglia (John Cabot University), Anna Ter-Khachatryan and Lusine “Lucy” Khalatyan (both from the American University of Armenia).
SECOND PRIZE
200 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Greenbrick”, a startup idea for a sustainable solution to plastic waste in the environment. By transforming plastic waste into innovative construction materials, “Greenbrick” aims to reduce the burden of plastic pollution and repurpose this waste.
The team was composed of students from Class IV BL, IV BS, and III BS at Liceo Giordano Bruno, Rome and Class III Anr at Liceo Scientifico Statale “M. Curie” di Pinerolo, Torino. Their mentors were Chenyu “Alex” Zhou (John Cabot University), Zhanna Karapetyan (American University of Armenia), and Ani Asatryan (American University of Armenia).
THIRD PRIZE
100 Euro, in the form of gift vouchers, is awarded to Team “Pleroo by Bubblicious,” a startup idea that creates zero-waste refill stations where customers can bring their own containers to refill detergents, shampoos and cleaning supplies.
The team was composed of students from Class 4 at Liceo Classico Statale “G. Carducci,” in Milan. Their mentors were Tatevik Abrahamyan, Lili Gasparyan and Sona Avetisyan (all from the American University of Armenia).
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Urban Improvement: SafeClist
Sustainable Fashion Innovation: O.N. Fashion
New Product Development: Team “Greenbrick,” which was also awarded 2nd place
Responsible Consumption:Team “Spatches,” which was also awarded 1st place
Team “Pleroo by Bubblicious,” which was also awarded 3rd place
URBAN IMPROVEMENT
Team “SafeClist,” a startup idea for an App to enjoy eco-friendly and safe city bicycle travel. “SafeClist” helps cyclists find the safest and most efficient routes, avoiding busy roads and pedestrian areas. In addition, cyclists can find the nearest public toilets along their route. It is also a platform for bike rental.
The team was composed of students from Class 3 at Liceo Classico Statale “G. Carducci,” in Milan. Their mentors were Loucine Mazloumian (American University of Armenia) and Virginia Moranti (John Cabot University).
SUSTAINABLE FASHION INNOVATION
Team “O.N. Fashion,” a startup idea to transform fast fashion waste and ocean glass into affordable bags and jewelry, offering a distinctive blend of eco-friendliness and Italian craftsmanship.
The team was composed of students from Class 3E and 3B at Liceo Scientifico Vito Volterra, in Ciampino. Their mentors were Knarik Margaryan and Davit Vanyan (both from the American University of Armenia) and Virginia Moranti (John Cabot University).
Congratulations to all participants for their work in this challenging program!
Participating high schools:
IIS “Blaise Pascal,” Pomezia
Liceo Classico Statale “G. Carducci,” Milano
LiceoGiordano Bruno, Roma
Liceo Scientifico Vito Volterra, Ciampino
Liceo Scientifico Statale “M. Curie,” Pinerolo
Liceo Classico e delle Scienze Umane Plauto, Roma
Liceo Ginnasio Statale Dante Alighieri, Roma
Participating Universities:
American University of Armenia
John Cabot University
Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires
"Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to live this amazing experience. Have a nice summer!"
- Andrea, Italy Starts 2021 Mentee
"I had a great time educating and mentoring my team throughout the entire process. The program was very well structured so it made it very easy for me to follow and share with the mentees."
- Mark, Italy Starts 2023 Mentor
"Thank you for the invaluable opportunity that you have offered to my students. This is just the kind of activity that they like and need to be engaged in as it is challenging, formative, and extremely useful and up-to-date."
- Maria D'Alessandro, teacher at Liceo Giulia Falletti di Barolo
