Worldwise Events: Shackleton Lecture with Songqiao Yao
Named after Dulwich College Alumnus and world-renowned Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Shackleton Lectures are a series of group-wide Dulwich College International events hosted as part of our Worldwise Events Programme, where inspirational guests from around the world are invited to share their stories with students, teachers and the wider community.
On Wednesday, 15 March we were honoured to welcome Antarctic explorer, National Geographic Global Explorer and WildBound founder Songqiao Yao as Shackleton Lecture guest. Songqiao’s lecture focused on the impact of climate change on the unique ecosystem of Antarctica; the history of exploration and conservation; the importance of biodiversity; how to understand, connect with, and protect nature around us; and how to cultivate a mindset of exploration and leadership in today’s uncertain world, drawing on lessons from exploration as a female scientist and community-led initiatives around the world.
About Songqiao Yao
Songqiao Yao is the founder of WildBound, an innovative sustainability and education venture that empowers sustainability leadership through expeditions, advocacy and creative expressions. She was the first Chinese participant and faculty member in Homeward Bound, the largest all female science expedition to Antarctica. Songqiao has over 10 years of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural experience working as a researcher, activist and entrepreneur working on global issues such as food, water and climate change.
She started actively campaigning on environmental justice and climate change as a researcher and youth delegate at UN climate change conferences in 2010. She has facilitated multi-stakeholder dialogues and built partnership between China-US, China-EU and BASIC countries climate organisations. In 2012, she helped build the environmental NGO International Rivers’ China office and strengthened its program on river protection in China through extensive field research and policy publications. Her ethnographic research along the Nu/Salween river has won a National Geographic Global Explorer grant. Driven by her 9-year-old dream, she raised $20,000 dollars in 2015 through crowdfunding for an advocacy trip to Antarctica and started the 2048 project to educate children about climate change and Antarctic conservation. She has led China-EU, China-US projects on climate change cooperation, started two healthy food brands, and consulted for agriculture and private sector development in Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.
Songqiao is a TEDx speaker and has spoken at various international platforms such as the UN summit on Climate Change in Paris and Global Scholars Symposium at Oxford.
In 2019, she was the activist in residence at Macau International School and delivered lectures and workshops from KG-12 grades on various perspectives on biodiversity. With Songqiao’s inspiration and connection, the school involved the whole community and raised close to $20,000 to support indigenous communities in the Amazon Rainforest.
Songqiao received her Mphil in Geography from Cambridge as a Gates Scholar, and her MBA from Oxford as the first Skoll Scholar from China. She graduated summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College.
Songqiao's passion for sustainability, her interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving, and her dedication to educating and empowering future leaders make her a powerful force for environmental change. We were proud to have Songqiao visit Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi and inspire our students.
