What Matters

The What Matters conversation series was formed in 2015 to give the Bowdoin community an opportunity to talk about issues and topics of importance. The goal of the conversations are to bring different voices into each conversation and have a facilitated discussion that allows participants to learn from one another about their individual perspectives and how those perspectives guide their views on the topic at hand. Each conversation is facilitated by a Bowdoin faculty member or a professional facilitator. The conversations usually include a combination of 1:1 or small group discussion as well as a larger town hall-style discussion. Most What Matters Conversations are for Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff. However, in special programs, the McKeen Center partners with Make Shift Coffee House to host conversations that also bring in Mid Coast community members to share their perspectives as well.

Building Bridges at Bowdoin Dialogue Program

Building Bridges at Bowdoin (BBB) is the newest program in the McKeen Center's What Matters Dialogue Program. Building Bridges brings together an ideologically diverse cohort of 8-10 students to learn about dialogue and then participate in a series of 5 topic-specific dialogues per semester. The topics will primarily be focused on issues related to politics and social life - at Bowdoin, in the US, and abroad. We welcome and encourage international student participation! The program will end with a reflection and a capstone project in April.

The goals of the program are to provide participants with skills and tools for having conversation across difference, provide an opportunity for you to better understand what others' beliefs are and where they come from, and to engage in critical reflection on your own beliefs and how you communicate them and converse about them with friends, family, and others.  The program will end with a reflection and a capstone project toward the end of the semester.

Participating students must commit to attending and participating in all program sessions:
- Program Retreat: January 23, 2026: 2:30-6:30p 
- Dialogue Sessions, Fridays, 2:30-4p - 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27, 3/27
- Program Reflection: Friday, April 10, 2:30-4p

Upon completion of the program, students who participate in the sessions and complete the capstone project will receive a $250 stipend.