The JCU's Community Service program’s slogan is: “I C-A-R-E!” which stands for the core values that we strive to implement: Community, Awareness, Respect and Empowerment. The Program offers many different service opportunities throughout the semester and also gives students the possibility to be awarded with an official Certificate of Participation for volunteering with our affiliated associations.
The Community Service Program’s objective is to build a caring community that is aware and respectful of the diverse realities that surround us. The Program is based on learning from these differences, and aims to enforce a give and take process: it seeks to empower the local Community by helping out in every possible way, but also aspires for students to be empowered through the volunteering opportunities.
Our goals are:
Here are some achievements of the Community Service Program in the 2024/2025 academic year:
The Community Service Program gives students the opportunity to receive a Certificate of Participation they can include on their international resume. This certificate recognizes an individual’s dedication to volunteer work while at John Cabot University.
Requirements:
The Service Cord is a recognition of a student’s outstanding contribution to the field of Community Service. Graduating seniors who have extensively volunteered, going above and beyond the call of duty in the community, while upholding the spirit of the JCU mission, are awarded this cord.
Requirements:
The International Women’s House is a non-profit organization located just around the corner from John Cabot University that provides a variety of services to support women in need. JCU students volunteer their time by teaching English and creating a space for cultural exchange.
Grassroots is the environmental club at John Cabot University. Members of the club provide support and participate in some of the activities organized by the office, particularly the weekly environmental clean-up in Trastevere. For more information please contact [email protected].
Hummustown helps refugees gain economic independence by offering dignified employment through the preparation, packaging, and delivery of authentic Syrian food across Rome. The collaboration with John Cabot University began with JCU volunteers teaching basic Italian to the Hummustown team and has continued through the university hosting representatives of the project, who shared both their work and their personal stories.
Italy Reads is the flagship program for JCU’s Programs for High Schools. It is John Cabot University's community-based reading and cultural exchange program that began in 2009 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for The Big Read Rome. Each program has a minimum time commitment expected of you during the semester – you are always welcome to do more!
The suite of programs that have evolved over the past 16 years are administered by the Vice President of Academics’ Office.
All programs will provide opportunities for you to get to know Italian high school students, help them as they learn new skills while developing projects and speaking English. You’ll experience Italy through the eyes of Italian youth and, why not, make a new friend or two.
Apply to become a JCU Student Mentor for Programs for Italian High Schools.
Oratorio San Francesco Saverio al Caravita, located in the city center, provides support and meals to marginalized communities. JCU students volunteer at this church twice a week assisting in serving lunch.
The John Cabot University STAND branch, created in 2009, was the first STAND branch in Europe. STAND is a student-led international NGO founded in 2004 whose mission is to end genocide and other mass atrocities around the world. Their chapter, however, extends its mission to various human rights issues and focuses on improving the lives of refugees and migrants here in Rome, Italy. STAND supports community service initiatives by integrating them into the semester’s classroom experience schedule and by providing donations that fund meal distribution activities. For more information please contact [email protected].
Tuttoblue Arte e Sociale is a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting homeless people and people in need. Tuttoblue has been working closely with the John Cabot University Community Service Program since 2014, involving students who wish to give back to the city. As part of this collaboration, students assist with breakfast distribution every Tuesday and Thursday morning, while the University further supports the initiative by providing fresh fruit for breakfast.
Vo.Re.Co offers a vast array of services including psychological and legal counseling services, breakfast and dinner delivery to the community in need, and provides temporary shelter to underprivileged fathers who have children hospitalized at Bambin Gesù. JCU students volunteer their time by helping with the distribution of breakfast and dinner.
WWF Italia is an Italian environmental group and part of the World Wildlife Fund, the international non-governmental organization dedicated to nature conservation. In 2025, John Cabot University has begun a collaboration with this historic organization by hosting a talk by speakers from WWF Italia and WWF Young Italia, and by participating in the waste-monitoring project Adopt Rivers and Lakes, carried out along the banks of the Tiber River, near the university.
For more information, follow us on Instagram at @jcu.communityservice or email [email protected].
Interested in making your experience at JCU even more international? Willing to dedicate about 20 hours over the semester of your time? Ready to meet Italian high school students? Volunteer for our programs with over 100 Italian high schools! You'll meet them remotely and/or in person, at their school or at JCU.
Find out more and join one or more of the five JCU's Programs for High Schools, and become a Mentor to students.
Join one or more of JCU’s Programs for High Schools and become a Mentor to students.
All activities are in English. Learn about inter-cultural collaboration, meet people who might one day be colleagues in an international job, and receive a Certificate of Participation to add to your international study profile. The time you dedicate to these programs is recognized toward your Community Service Certificate. Register to become a Mentor.
For Italy Reads (October-April): in the Fall semester, you can lead discussions (in English) and work with students in their preparation of a short video inspired by the annually selected work of American literature. During the Spring semester, you can mentor students in their preparation of interviews and a newsletter.
For Italy Starts (Spring semester): you will guide students in their research and development of a proposal for a business idea that addresses an environmental issue.
For Italy Pitches, Italy Writes and How to Write a Successful CV and Techniques for Public Speaking (October-April): you will collaborate with the teachers that are conducting workshops for their students in the context of these programs.
Questions? Write to [email protected].
All John Cabot University students are responsible for upholding standards of conduct detailed in the Student Handbook, within the University as well as within the local community.
The following rules of basic etiquette are expected of students for all Community Service initiatives:
Destruction of property
Intentionally or recklessly damaging, vandalizing, destroying, or tampering with University property, property of other persons, or partner organization is prohibited.
Identification
All students must carry a John Cabot University Student ID and present it when requested by any official of the University, including members of the faculty, staff, and security guards.
Possession of dangerous weapons or materials
Dangerous weapons or materials of any kind, such as (but not limited to) firearms, martial arts weapons, knives, explosive devices, fireworks, ammunition, chemicals, or any item deemed to be dangerous by University Officials are not allowed on University premises and Community Service sites.
Respect
JCU students are expected to contribute to an expectation of mutual respect with all site participants. Students should make their supervisor aware of any concerns immediately so as to not jeopardize anyone's wellbeing during an event. JCU will not tolerate an atmosphere of disrespect or hostility.
Violence
Any act of physical violence or any act that causes personal injury to another person is strictly prohibited.
