Everyday we turn on the news and it feels like man's inhumanity to man has taken center stage. But what if you could travel abroad, learn about yourself through diverse cultures and rediscover man's ability to humanize itself through unforgettable college study experiences? In today's episode, Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig, Executive Director and Founder of the Center for International Experiential Learning (CIEL) joins us to share how experiential learning and immersive international travel in conflict-affected regions inspires critical thinking and creative engagement to counter division and polarization. Receive college credit, travel, develop international friendships and find out just how similar we really are. Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig received his Ph.D. in Political Science/International Relations from the University of California, Irvine (2009). During his graduate studies, he founded and became the inaugural Executive Director of the Olive Tree Initiative, an award-winning experiential learning program based in the University of California system and housed at UC Irvine. Born in Germany, he participated in many international educational programs during his youth and undergraduate education, allowing him to live in and experience first-hand conflict-affected areas in the Middle East, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, and the U.S., where he worked as a U.S. Congressional intern during 9/11. He also created and taught in the Certificate Program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and served as the Vice-Chair of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine. In his doctoral work, Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig studied Israeli-Palestine and Northern Ireland comparatively in the context of citizen involvement in the peace processes. In the last 15 years, he has traveled to the Middle East over 25 times and dozens of times to the South Caucasus (Turkey, Armenia, Georgia), Colombia, and Northern Ireland, mostly bringing groups of students and community members with him on educational travel. To learn more about Dr. Wehrenfennig and his work at CIEL, connect with him on IG @ciel.global or visit. his website at CIELGlobal.org.
Center for International Experiential Learning (CIEL): https://www.cielglobal.org/