Going Strong at 75: Italy Reads Volunteers Preparing for Fall 2012
A record 75 student volunteers have signed up to participate in JCU’s Italy Reads, John Cabot University’s community-based reading and cultural exchange program.
Students from the universities listed below have committed themselves to prepare for the Italy Reads program by volunteering to read The Great Gatsby and take a short Moodle course so they are ready to work with the over 30 Italian Public High Schools that are part of this on-going program of cultural exchange around an American novel.
JCU Italy Reads Volunteers don’t just go and visit a school, they get to know enthusiastic teachers of English and students who realize that expressing themselves in English and learning about other cultures is one of the keys to their future success. At the same time, volunteers have the opportunity to see their own culture through the eyes of a foreigner, make new friends, and become more integrated into our Roman community.
Aside from discussing the novel, teamwork is involved in helping Italian students produce a 3 to 9 minute video for the Student Video Contest which supports the importance of the English language in our global society and sparks a new enthusiasm to learn to use the language amongst the Italian students. JCU Volunteers are all a very important part of this as they give to back to the community that hosts them.
According to Gina Spinelli, who has been coordinating Italy Reads since 2009, “Students and teachers alike appreciate this opportunity to reach out to each other and share their passion for the selected works.”
We are pleased to welcome Italy Reads 2012 Volunteers from:
American University
Baylor University
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Carleton College
Champlain College
College of William and Mary
Colorado State University
Cornell University
California State University, Long Beach
Emory University
Grand Valley State University
Hofstra University
John Cabot University
Marquette University
Mercer County Community College
Northeastern University
University of Notre Dame
Oregon State University
Rider University
Rutgers University
Saint Mary’s College of California
Skidmore College
St. Edward’s University
St. Norbert College
St. Thomas University
Stockholm University
Suffolk University
SUNY Brockport
Texas Tech University
Towson University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Miami
University of San Diego
University of South Carolina
University of Wisconsin Madison
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Washington and Lee University
Willamette University
