An American university in the heart of Rome
High School Outreach Program | JCU Community Service | Rome, Italy
Community Service
High School Outreach Program | JCU Community Service | Rome, Italy

High School Outreach Program

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 (remotely and/or in-person at their school/at JCU)? 

Then…. 

Volunteer for our programs with over 100 Italian high schools!

Join two of JCU’s Programs for High Schools and become a Mentor to students. 

Italy Reads, Fall and Spring 

Mackenzie shares her experience with Italy Reads 2021, William Demby's Beetlecreek. Watch the interview.

(Watch the video about Italy Reads and see what a visit to a school can be like (credit: Italy Reads Volunteer Alessandro Ceschi). 
Italy Starts, Summer I, (in collaboration with the Institute for Entrepreneurship) (Watch the video about Italy Starts) 

All activities are in English.

  • Learn about inter-cultural collaboration 
  • Meet people who might one day be colleagues in an international job!
  • 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. 

What will be your take-away?

  • A better understanding of what it means to live and study in Rome or a nearby town
  • Enriched experience with peer-to-peer team building and collaboration
  • Community service work in Italy for your resume

How do you get started?  

  • Register by filing in this registration form: JCU Student Mentors for Programs for Italian High Schools (We’ll then contact you with details on what to do next.)
  • Undertake a brief training session so you are ready to volunteer as a mentor:
  • Italy Reads (October – April)
    • Lead discussions (in English) of themes presented in a selected work of American literature 
    • Work with students in producing a 3-minute video inspired by the literature (Fall)
    • Mentor students as they interview and write about one of our guest speakers
  • Italy Starts (JCU’s Summer I session)
    • Guide students in their research and development of a proposal for a business idea that addresses an environmental issue. (Did you know that JCU is also AACSB accredited? This is an indicator of the quality of the experience you will have at JCU!)

What will you NOT do?

  • Speak with students in Italian. You’ll be helping them improve their English and have their own international experience by getting to know you
  • Teach English or substitute their language teacher
  • Regret the experience! 

Questions? Write to [email protected]  

Related links:
Italy Reads Program 
Italy Reads Volunteer  
Italy Starts