Volunteer work is a way to not only give back to the community you spend time in abroad, but it’s also yet another way to immerse yourself in local culture. You can match your volunteer work to your personal interests and strengths, building on your experience and contributing the best parts of yourself to serve other people. Giving back to others is in the spirit of the holiday season—and feels just as good all year round.
Volunteering can prove to be a challenging yet wonderful learning experience. You’ll meet professionals who can teach you skills and lessons you wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to learn, as well as discover new perspectives. Read on for more about volunteering during your time in Rome!
Make Community Service Part of Your Routine While at JCU
Routine is a part of being a student—most people get quite focused on their studies and experiences as a student, with their days revolving around campus and classes. Volunteering is an eye-opening, challenging yet rewarding addition to a student’s routine! While it’s important to be dedicated to academics, hands-on learning allows you to emotionally connect with others and apply concepts learnt in the classroom to the real world.
Finding pockets of time for volunteering helps further develop time-management and organizational skills and allows students to fully immerse in the community.
Learn About Yourself and Others Through Volunteering
Volunteering is a chance to personally grow just as much as it is a chance to develop soft and hard skills. When you take advantage of volunteering opportunities, you can find new interests or explore things that have intrigued you in the past. You can choose to volunteer in a way that differs from your educational path, to find new sides to yourself and get to know your other strengths.
Meeting others is a great way to learn about the world while developing social skills. Communicating with people who are different from you, listening to ideas you aren’t used to, and connecting emotionally with strangers are all ways to self-improve and absorb cultural perspectives. You’ll also get chances to meet other local volunteers, professionals in the humanitarian field and students who have similar interests, and these relationships can be long-lasting and instrumental.
Places to Consider Volunteering at When You Study Abroad in Rome
You’ll have plenty to think about when you study abroad in Rome, and with all of the options in front of you, volunteering can seem like a lot to organize. Thankfully, the Community Service Office will send you a weekly schedule of volunteering opportunities that you can choose from to make things easier. You can structure your level of commitment and select the organization that you mostly want to work with among our 20 affiliations. For example, Casa Famiglia Bice Porcu is a foster care home where students create and deliver early learning programs for the children who live there.
Italy Reads is another wonderful option—JCU created the program in 2009 as a community-based reading and cultural exchange program. Students visit Italian high schools to help them discuss English literature as well as complete various projects like producing a short video or presentation. Other affiliate options include the Italian Red Cross; the International Women’s House; STAND, a student organization that actively volunteers in various homeless shelters and churches; and Hummustown, an organization that helps refugees gain economic independence by cooking, packaging, and delivering Syrian food around the city.
Whatever you choose, volunteering is a rewarding and exciting experience that can help you grow personally and professionally.
Are you looking for a study abroad program at a university in Rome?
Contact John Cabot University for more information.
