This paper describes the ?Lingua e comunit࿠(Language and Community) project, implemented with intermediate students of Italian at Griffith University for the first time in 2000. As part of their course of study, the students were required to meet on a regular basis with members of the local Italian community to practise their conversational skills. The paper first provides an overview of similar out-of-class experiences, together with a discussion of the benefits that contact with native speakers outside class can have on students? motivation, self-confidence and autonomy. This is followed by a description of the way in which the community component was integrated into the course structure, the type of preparation students did in class and the way their meetings with community members were conducted. Finally, a preliminary analysis of the outcomes is presented, with a particular emphasis on practical concerns, along with some proposed enhancements to the scheme for the future, derived from students? and teachers? responses.