Home » Nonprofits » Charities » International Charity

GULL - Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL)

Ranked #738 in Nonprofits, #182,941 overall | Donates to Save the Children

The GULL Vision - Building Community Through Developing Leaders

GULL is a nonprofit public benefit corporation incorporated in California, USA. GULL is recognized by the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and endorsed by other Governments, Leaders & Institutions. GULL's aim is to equip everyone, particularly the disadvantaged and dislocated, to acquire practical knowledge and skills through lifelong learning. This approach to personal and professional development is designed to give access to practical education to people who would not normally be able to access formal education.

CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO - Ron Talks About Richard Teare - Founder of GULL

GULL - Enabling YOU to Make a Difference in OUR World

GULL's Mission

Enabling YOU to make a difference in OUR world...

Richard Teare, President of Global University for Lifelong Learning

The GULL Approach to Learning

The GULL approach is highly flexible and adaptable to conditions as diverse as the jungles of Papua New Guinea and the desolated environment of Haiti. GULL employs action learning to empower individuals, communities and organizations to sustain learning and apply the outcomes to create a better world. A particular focus is developing and recognizing the capacity of community workers to contribute to their community. A GULL award is recognition of real learning-in-context and contribution to a local community or workplace. These young people are working way outside their comfort zone to make a community contribution.

While the make-up of the various degree awards (bachelor, master and doctorate) varies with the situation, the key components are listed below and demonstrate that the learning is embedded in the role and context of the participant and measured in terms of personal, organizational and community outcomes.

Personal Learning Statement - completed at the outset with the aid of a mentor and focuses on self-assessment, learning goals and desired outcomes (for self, community and organization).
Daily Reflection Report - a diary that builds reflective practice and focuses on what went well and not so well (and why) and what the participant would do differently (and how)
Outputs Report - focuses on primary learning outcomes (for self, organization & community), community outcomes and recommendations for further action.
External Review Interview/Presentation - the focus here is on explanation, validation and assessment of the quality of the in-context learning and community outcomes.
Action Learning Set - providing supportive challenge and engagement in a learning group focused on asking fresh questions, exploring assumptions and collaboratively identifying /overcoming learning barriers.

Haiti Earthquake Destruction Downtown

GULL, World Vision and HOPE for HAITI

Vision-GULL: Collaboration between GULL, World Vison and UNICEF

The Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) and World Vision International (WVI) have launched an education program in Haiti. This is the first time GULL has offered their education programs in a post-disaster setting. The Vision-GULL Program will give Haitians the opportunity to complete a professional degree (at a bachelor, master or doctorate level) through a unique community education approach built on action learning and measurable personal and community outcomes.

The GULL program in Haiti brings together GULL's unique approach to personal and community capacity building with World Vision's initiative titled. "Early Childhood Development Learning Space". The following characteristics of this FREE Program highlight its cascading effects for the Haitian community.

The primary outcome focus is on providing relevant learning for young (often traumatized) children (under 8 years of age) who live in the dense, tent camps without access to education because of the destruction of their schools and/or lack of money.
500 volunteer educators (aged 17-25) are working as pre-school teachers for the children. They are unable to access high school or university because of the earthquake destruction. The educators will able to achieve a Bachelor of Professional Studies (Community Education) through GULL by engagement in, and reflection on, their work with the children.
World Vision staff in Haiti who will act as coaches and mentors for the volunteer educators will be able to enter a pathway to a Master of Professional Studies (Community Education) degree. The GULL action learning approach will be supplemented by training inputs from World Vision. The WVI staff will be awarded their degree on the basis of proof of the outcomes they achieve for the volunteer educators and documentation of their personal learning and growth in professional skills.

Tent Camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Vision - GULL for Haiti

This initiative will help Haiti's next generation find a future for themselves in this country.

Noach Ochola, World Vision's Senior Advisor for Children in Emergencies

GULL Endorsements from World Leaders

The Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) is a nonprofit public benefit corporation, registered in California, USA on 18 July 2007. GULL is recognized in perpetuity by the State and Government of Papua New Guinea & endorsed by other Governments, Leaders & Institutions.

GULL seeks government endorsement wherever it supports lifelong learning. In this way, GULL's global recognition is localized to provide regional and national identity in the form of letters of support from government ministers, deputy ministers and other agencies. The endorsement formats include: official letters, videographs, speeches and testimonials and items from journals, magazines and newspapers.

Malaysia: Endorsements from the Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Minister of Human Resources, Deputy Minister of Youth & Sports, State Minister of Industrial Development, National SME Council (NASMEC) & Sarawak State Government.
Caribbean: Sir Howard Cooke, the former Governor General of Jamaica (1991-2006) in a video interview with Richard Teare, commented,
I am intrigued with what you are doing...a process like this should be supported...We should be learning and getting new ideas...It can be a very great ferment of development if we could pursue what you are doing with every individual.
Papua New Guines: Paul Tiensten, Minister for National Planning & District Development, Papua New Guinea, wrote: Our sole supplier for what will be a major, sustained initiative is GULL, recently established with the full support and recognition of the Government of Papua New Guinea. Our objective is to empower the PNG Public Service to find solutions to the challenges we face by enabling every public servant to participate.
Sri Lanka: Minister of Education, Sri Lanka, wrote: am delighted that the South Asian Academy for Good Governance (SAAGG) has affiliated with the Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) and that they will work together throughout Sri Lanka. It is a significant step forward as it is very important that opportunities are provided to youths as well as to adults to obtain professional degrees from a university of this kind with international recognition.

Haiait Recovery - from Gift of Gifts on Flickr

Haiti Recovery - from the Gift of Gifts

Publications

Richard Teare on the virtual university, organizational learning and the hospitality industry. Also, "The Life and Times of Sir Howard Cooke".

GULL - A Samoan Perspective

I think that GULL is going to give people hope, a greater sense of their worth and in so doing, help
restore or boost their human dignity. Nobody wants to be 'Nobody' - everyone wants to be 'Somebody'...

In so doing, it will assist many people to realize the potential that they have within them to help themselves, their families and the wider community...and create hope for the future.
Faimalotoa (John) Pale, Samoan Chief, Community Leader and President, 'Voice of the Samoan People' Qld

Blog Posts about Gull

Sorry, there are no matching results available from Google

MIRIAM MAKEBA & NINA SIMONE

Thulasizwe / I Shall Be Released

GULL - Resource Links

World Vision and the Global University for Lifelong Learning launch first-of-its-kind education program in Port-au-Prince (Haiti): World Vision and the Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) have launched a first-of-its-kind education program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. GULL provides Haitians with opportunities to pursue their bachelor's, master's and even doctoral degrees through an innovative community education approach. The program is free to all participants, and it is the first time in the world that it has been used in a post-disaster setting.

GULL is a Tribe

...a group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader and an idea.

Seth Godin (Tribes)

Important!

The Most Important Thing

Great leaders create movements by empowering the tribe to communicate. They establish the foundation for people to make connections...

...two things to create a tribe:
- a shared interest
- a way to communicate

With Tribes flourishing everywhere, there's a vast shortage of leaders. We need YOU!

Source: Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need YOU to Lead Us

GULL Online - Global University for Lifelong Learning

Guestbook

submit

Reply

crosscreations Nov 27, 2010 @ 7:47 am | delete

The concept of lifelong learning and the genuine efforts toward philanthropy embraced by GILL(and YOU) are impressive.

Reply

Neville Coventry Oct 24, 2010 @ 5:26 pm | delete

G'day Ron

GULL looks a great initiative. From what I can see it offers practical learning and tools to those whose life goals include service and the elimination of servitide. My sense is that great leaders enable others to lead from within and with a compassionate connection to others. GULL sounds the goods. OI look forward to exploring the possibilities.

Reply

OhMe Aug 6, 2010 @ 8:39 am | delete

I had never heard of GULL and it sounds like a wonderful organization. Thank you for all this great information.

Reply

ronpass Aug 6, 2010 @ 5:18 pm | delete

Yes, the leaders are very passionate about their mission to bring education and recognition to the under-priviledged and disadvantaged. Their approach is based on the work of Reg Revans, Father of Action Learning.

Reply

JoyfulPamela Aug 4, 2010 @ 5:25 pm | delete

Ron, this looks like a wonderful organization. Thank you for sharing this opportunity with us to help people around the world. : )

Reply

ronpass Aug 6, 2010 @ 5:08 pm | delete

Thanks Pamela, there are certainly some amazing people behind the movement who have a great vision and determination to make a difference.

Reply

Micael Olsson, Global Education Advisor, World Vision International Jul 28, 2010 @ 2:53 pm | delete

Community-based volunteers are the unsung champions of many a successful education, health, or income generation initiative hidden in difficult parts of the developing world. They find ingenious ways of adapting well-intended models or practices that don't really fit the realities of local contexts and making them work. With GULL, we finally have a system that further builds the capacity of these creative action learners and then professionalizes the critical role they play in the development process at the same time.

Reply

ronpass Jul 30, 2010 @ 6:14 pm | delete

Thanks for your comments Michael - it was great to catch up with you in Brisbane and be inspired by your global work in helping to educate communities and provide support for community-based volunteers..

Reply

Matt Teare Jul 25, 2010 @ 3:09 am | delete

Ron, the new GULL website is being redesigned to be made entirely from raw multimedia files (no more pdfs or flash slideshows, instead just raw text and images). Hopefully this will be easier to implement into Squidoo...It is likely that we will change our video host to Youtube for the new site. Hope to hear from you and keep up the great work on Squidoo.

Reply

Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt Jul 22, 2010 @ 4:16 am | delete

Ron, I support you and GULL 100% and I am working with colleagues to use the Gull processes with the Samoan community in Brisbane, Queensland. Meanwhile I am overseas and trying to finalise my new book which discusses GULL as an example of action leadership.
All is well here in Germany. I hope the same with you!
All the best,
Ortrun
Load More