The Sam L. Cohen Foundation, established 29 years ago in Portland to benefit individuals living in southern Maine, has awarded the Camden Conference a grant for 15 Portland High School students and 2 teachers to attend the February 22-24, 2013 Conference in Camden. This year’s Camden Conference theme “The Middle East: What Next?” will focus on the current status and future prospects of the Arab Awakening across the Middle East and its likely impacts upon U.S. policies and U.S. roles in the region. The students to attend will be selected from Portland High School’s Global Studies Certificate Program, and will recognize other recommendations from the Portland Mentoring Alliance, the Make It Happen Program and various ELL programs. The Global Studies program is open to native-born and immigrant students and combines cultural competence skills training, monthly seminars ranging from music to international humanitarian aid efforts, and a senior service learning project to challenge and reward students who are dedicated to becoming global citizens.

The Sam L. Cohen Foundation supports a wide variety of organizations that provide access to educational opportunities, promote culture and the arts and contribute to civic improvement and community well being.

Robin Wright, journalist, author and foreign policy analyst, is the Camden Conference’s keynote speaker, followed over the course of the weekend by eight other recognized experts representing various countries in the Middle East. Serving as Conference moderator is Ambassador Nicholas Burns, currently Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School.

This is the Camden Conference’s 26th year of offering informed discourse on world affairs through community events that start seven months prior to the Conference and culminate with the February Conference weekend. The Conference is held at the Camden Opera House, Camden and streamed live to venues in Rockland, Belfast and Ellsworth. For more information on speakers, topics and registration, please check the website www.camdenconference.org.