Dulwich Talks 2016

The first Dulwich Talks event took place at the College. Students from Years 10-13 engaged in presentations on topics as varied as resilience in city planning, elite sport and the One Child Policy. Ann Daniels, from the UK, spoke about her experiences being the only woman to have walked to both the North and South Poles. Her stories were quite enthralling.

Students also participated in seminars and workshops, spanning a wide range of disciplines but all relating to the common theme of Resilience. Groups engaged in gathering clues and solving puzzles to break out of a locked room; considering a literary perspective on the short-lived nation of Biafra; discussing the financial crisis with a top Wall Street economist and looking at similarities and differences in the resilience shown by birds and humans. With 25 seminars for students to choose from there was certainly something for everyone!

Feedback from students:

"I thought the way Xinran Xue spoke of all of the events she has encountered in life was absolutely gripping, truly fascinating."

“I’ve learned that I need to find internal motivators, to look not at what aspects of the situation cannot be controlled but at what can, and that the only thing that you can always be control of is your mindset. Success is not always about getting to the final destination yourself - it can also be about how you've helped others get there.”

"I came to understand that everyone will always have their own perspective on different topics and that for many things there isn't one specific answer.”

"I took away the fact that even if we think we're so small we can't make a difference, we are wrong, and that if we really believe in something, we can work hard enough to really make a difference.”

"I loved the Lessons of planning, improvisation and paying attention to the small things”

"I came away thinking that challenge is what makes life exciting”