Programs : Camden Conference

The Camden Conference, held each February since 1988, provides an opportunity for experts on international affairs to convene with other interested individuals to discuss a range of global issues. The Conference has continually grown in attendance, and discussions began in 2006 between the Conference Board and the Board of World Affairs Council of Maine to extend the reach of the Conference to a wider Maine audience. In May 2007, the presidents of the two organizations signed an agreement whereby the World Affairs Council would bring the February 2008 Conference to the Portland area.

This year’s event was held in the handsome Hannaford Auditorium at the University of Southern Maine in downtown Portland. The theme for Portland’s first Camden Conference was “Religion as a Force in World Affairs.” Over the Conference’s three days, nine different quest speakers, including keynote speaker Bryan Hehir, gave scintillating presentations. Lively discussions between conference participants sprung up recurrently between each of the guest speaker’s presentations. As part of this year’s conference, conference guests were divided into different classrooms where they participated in facilitated discussions on different aspects of religion’s role in international affairs. Altogether, 148 guests attended this year’s Camden Conference and we hope to have even better numbers next year.

In honor of the Camden Conference's 21st anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the World Affairs Council of Maine, and in recognition of the two organizations' diligent work to bring information and reasonable discourse to Maine, Governor Baldacci recently issued a proclamation announcing that Feb. 22-24, 2008, will be known as “Bringing the World to Maine Weekend.”