ABSTRACT
For experiential educators, the most known and quoted “Kurt” is Kurt Hahn, organizer of the Outward Bound programs. Another “Kurt” of signifi cance is Kurt Lewin, a psychologist whose theory and research on group dynamics and group processes has much to off er those in the fi eld of experiential education. Th e lives of these two Kurt’s were surprisingly similar. Both were raised Jewish in pre-Nazi Germany during the early years of the 20th century, and both were aff orded an opportunity for a university education. With Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s, both men came to disagree with the social system that was developing throughout Germany. Kurt Hahn left his native land to immigrate to England where he became a prominent educator. His attitude about the politics in Germany was recorded when he told the parents and colleagues of his Salem School that they would either have to side with Hitler or with him (Miner, 1990). Kurt Lewin was also discouraged about the rise of Hitler, and left Germany in the 1930s to immigrate to America.
