The Blue Hill Public Library and Camden Conference are proud to sponsor a talk with East Blue Hill residents Jeanne Bourgault and Dr. Ray Jennings on rapid political change on Thursday January 9 at 7PM, as part of the community events offered by Camden Conference. 

Their presentation will explore rapid political change, focusing on the successes and failures of people-power movements, with a particular emphasis on democratic revolution in Serbia. Drawing on their combined experiences working around the world during times of crises and violence, Jeanne and Ray will speak on the topic of information influences in revolutions and democratic change, and how information flows and the media can be political actors in these spaces.

As President and CEO of Internews, Jeanne Bourgault leads the organization’s strategic management and its programs in more than 100 countries around the world.  Under her leadership, Internews has helped foster independent media sectors in countries such as Jordan and South Sudan, and provided lifesaving information to people during crises in Ukraine, Myanmar, and Afghanistan.  During her tenure, Internews has led the growing sector of humanitarian information, expanded into US programs, developed strategies to address digital information technology, and centered the information needs of underserved communities throughout its programs.

Since 1994, Dr. Ray Salvatore Jennings has served as a country director and senior advisor with the United Nations, the World Bank, the United States Institute of Peace, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), working in over thirty countries experiencing civil violence, ethnic conflict, forced displacement, and political transition. His published works examine democratic revolutions, post-conflict recovery, people-power movements, and the drivers of rapid political change. Jennings is a frequent media commentator and panelist on global affairs and has received awards and fellowships recognizing his expertise in the field and leadership in complex crises.

For more information on this event, please email Assistant Director Kayleigh Thomas at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net or call the library at 374-5515.

For more information about the Camden Conference, visit: https://www.camdenconference.org/

This event is free and open to all, and will be held in the library's Howard Room.