January 3 – 19, 2026

After 2.5 years CIEL returned to the Middle East in January with a newly developed Jordan program in partnership with the University of Wyoming.

With 17 students we traveled to Amman, Ajlun, Aqaba, Wadi Rum, Petra, and Madaba and focused on four intersecting pillars: Israel–Palestine, Jordan’s role in navigating regional migration, displacement and political strife, environmental pressures (especially water), and regional security.

Jordan offered a stable base for rigorous learning while staying close to the region’s hardest questions. The program paired high-level institutional briefings with grounded community encounters: meetings with the Palestinian and U.S. embassies and Jordanian parliamentarians, and conversations with civil society actors including EcoPeace, the Jordan River Foundation, and the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies, alongside women’s cooperatives and local communities outside the capital. We also brought in additional Israeli and Palestinian voices virtually to keep multiple perspectives in the room.

In reflections, students described less “certainty” and more precision: learning what diplomacy sounds like during conflict, listening across competing narratives, and recognizing how simplified framings fall apart when you sit with people’s lived experience. This trip was a reminder of how urgently we need to cut through algorithm-driven narratives right now and return to careful, compassionate study of difficult realities, shaped by listening first.

January 4 – 17, 2026

For the last two weekend, students from Colgate University have traveling to Northern Ireland for an immersive learning experience focused on conflict, peacebuilding, and post-conflict governance. Through meetings with former combatants, policymakers, community leaders, and victims’ groups, students critically engaged with the legacies of the Troubles and the ongoing challenges of reconciliation, memory, and governance. These experiences offered powerful insights into peacebuilding in deeply divided societies.

October 19–31, 2025

Our Balkans Community Trip has come to an end.
Over two weeks across Bosnia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania, 22 participants explored how societies remember, rebuild, and live with the legacies of war and trauma. Led in the second week by Dr. Elton Skendaj from Georgetown University, the journey focused on questions of justice, reconciliation, and democratic development in a region still marked by its recent past.

In Bosnia, we examined how memory and identity are negotiated—from Srebrenica’s pursuit of justice to Sarajevo’s efforts to foster coexistence and confront intergenerational trauma. In Montenegro, we reflected on shared histories and the challenge of preserving heritage while looking forward. In Kosovo, conversations with journalists, activists, and civil society leaders highlighted the ongoing work of building institutions and trust. And in Albania, we turned to democratic reform, civic participation, and the country’s European aspirations.

June 22–28, 2025

This innovative program marked CIEL’s first health-focused academic trip to Northern Ireland. In collaboration with faculty from the University of Wyoming’s Pharmacy Department, the program examined the intersection of public health, mental health, and conflict. Participants engaged with over a dozen new voices, including younger and female experts, women with lived experience of the conflict, and leading figures like Prof. David Bolton, Prof. Brandon Hamber, and Prof. Siobhan O’Neil.

June 1–12, 2025

In collaboration with Professor Elton Skendaj, this program returned for a second year, offering 15 graduate students from Georgetown’s MA in Democracy & Governance program a deep dive into the political and institutional structures of post-conflict Northern Ireland. Students explored divided societies through meetings with politicians, civil society leaders, and reconciliation experts, with a focus on generational shifts in political attitudes and governance. CIEL’s Daniel Wehrenfennig and Claudio Dangmann guided the program. The highlight was a shared day of programming with the Chapman group, including visits to the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, the Irish Secretariat, and a special talk with Professor Paul Arthur. This overlap encouraged interdisciplinary dialogue and cross-university connection between cohorts.

June 1–12, 2025

In partnership with Dr. Lisa Leitz, this inaugural program brought ~15 undergraduate students from Chapman University’s Peace Studies and Communication Studies to Northern Ireland for an immersive study of reconciliation and peace-building. Students engaged directly with former combatants, policymakers, victims’ groups, and community leaders, gaining firsthand insight into the legacy of the Troubles and contemporary challenges in post-sectarian society. Each student wrote daily reflections, which you can read here. The delegation was joined by CIEL Board Chair Dulcie Kugelman and Executive Director Daniel Wehrenfennig, further solidifying our institutional relationship with Chapman. The success of this trip has laid the foundation for future campus-specific collaborations.