Fourth Year of High School at Rondine (QAR)
Supporting an experimental educational program that integrates the school curriculum with peace education, conflict management, and active citizenship in an international setting.
Starting date
1 September 2025Duration
12 monthsRealized by:
Associazione Rondine Cittadella della PaceObjectives
Prevent youth distress and school dropout, by offering an innovative educational pathway that integrates the traditional curriculum with experiential and training activities.
Develop soft and intercultural skills, through labs, workshops, and co-living with international students, fostering dialogue and positive conflict resolution.
Strengthen social cohesion across Italian regions, promoting civic engagement and social project development, helping students create impactful initiatives in their communities through an incubation and mentoring process.
Promote active citizenship and youth participation, encouraging interaction with institutions, organizations, and local communities for a leadership-oriented education focused on the common good.
The Fourth Year of High School at Rondine (QAR) is an experimental educational program, officially recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research as an innovation in methodological-didactic experimentation (DM 500/2015). This program allows students to attend their fourth year of high school at the Cittadella della Pace in Rondine, Tuscany. The project integrates the national school curriculum with training activities focused on peace education, conflict management, social responsibility, and the development of soft skills, all within an international and multicultural environment.
Selected students from different regions of Italy will follow the official curriculum of their respective academic tracks (Classical, Scientific, or Human Sciences), enhanced by innovative teaching methodologies and an intensive experiential learning program called “Ulisse: The Journey to Discover Who I Am”. This program explores human rights, globalization, environmental sustainability, and active citizenship. In addition to theoretical lessons, students will participate in social project development labs, workshops with experts, and peer-learning activities with international students from the World House.
The experience will also include educational trips to Brussels and Calabria, designed to provide first-hand exposure to European institutions and explore topics such as migration and legality. Additionally, each student will develop a social impact project to be implemented in their home communities, supported by an incubation program called “Itaca”.
The program will conclude with participation in YouTopic Fest, an international festival on conflict resolution, where students will present their projects and actively contribute to the event’s organization. The goal is to provide young people with a transformative experience, equipping them with intercultural dialogue skills, conflict management tools, and active citizenship principles, helping them tackle the challenges of contemporary society.
The program involves 30 selected students from across Italy, including two students specifically supported through the 8×1000 funds of the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai.
