Press Release

President and Mrs. George W. Bush to Speak at Graduation of Liberty and Leadership Forum Participants from Burma

President and Mrs. George W. Bush will speak at the graduation of the 2017 class of the Bush Institute’s Liberty and Leadership Forum on Monday, June 26.

DALLAS, Texas — President and Mrs. George W. Bush will speak at the graduation of the 2017 class of the Bush Institute’s Liberty and Leadership Forum on Monday, June 26.

The third class is made up of 20 Young Leaders from Burma (Myanmar), including a sitting member of the democratically elected Burmese Parliament, a Rohingya Muslim advocate for human rights in his community, a UN public information officer who volunteers to help lift children out of poverty, and a BBC journalist whose radio programming reaches millions of Burmese youth, all of whom are contributing to their country’s transition to democracy. 

The graduation ceremony will also welcome local Burmese refugees who have come to Dallas to make new lives for themselves and contribute to the community. A few of the refugees once lived at the Mae La Refugee Camp, the same refugee camp Mrs. Laura Bush visited in 2008 on the Thailand-Burma border. 

Wai Wai Nu, a Liberty and Leadership graduate from the program’s first class and one of TIME Magazine’s Next Generation leaders of 2017, will also be in attendance.

The Bush Institute’s Liberty and Leadership Forum equips young leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to lead in countries where transitions to democracy are occurring. It uses a curriculum focused on the principles of liberal democracy and economic freedom, lessons from other democratic transitions, and practical leadership skills.

The Liberty and Leadership program begins with a three-week summer seminar in the United States, including coursework at the Bush Center, and a four-day experience tour of Washington, D.C. Through a combination of an intensive year-long curriculum, hands-on skill development, and practical application, the men and women of the Liberty and Leadership Forum will be equipped to help support democratic change in their home country.