The Olive Tree Initiative is a UCI organization whose mission is to promote conflict
analysis and resolution through rigorous academic preparation, experiential education
and leadership development. OTI provides students, faculty and the general community
with education, training and experiences needed to better understand, negotiate and
resolve conflicts.
The Olive Tree Initiative aims to:
- Foster respectful and informed discourse regarding regional conflicts and provide a space for constructive engagement of critical issues.
- Educate students about conflicts and introduce them to a variety of historical and contemporary perspectives, narratives and facts.
- Build a community of engaged students committed to working for change.
- Prepare and empower students to become future leaders by providing them with tools, training and professional networks.
Our Method
ON CAMPUS: OTI Elevates the Conversation
IN THE COMMUNITY: OTI Engages and Educates
The Olive Tree Initiative focuses on intractable conflict through an innovative model of experiential learning that includes structured campus learning and discussion, community involvement, and trips to the regions studied (currently the Middle East and South Caucasus region).
Committed to non-partisan education, OTI brings together ethnically, politically, and religiously diverse students and offers them a safe space on campus, and helps to elevate the conversation about the various narratives and perspectives on current conflicts.
As students go “beyond sound bites and stereotypes” in their understanding of conflict, OTI empowers them in their scholarship and individual leadership development for any arena, investing in a community of engaged young people eager to make a difference. With strong critical thinking skills and broad global awareness, our alumni move on to positions of influence in academia, diplomacy, politics, and other fields.