About GULL

A television profile of GULL's role in the workplace and the community filmed at a Sandals Resorts graduation.

Launched in October 2007, The Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) provides access to lifelong learning for people in communities and for workplace organizations around the world.

GULL is a non-profit network movement that enables its affiliated organizations to recognize the individual and collective efforts of those who are causing change and progressive transformation in communities and in the workplace. How does GULL make this possible? Our core learning process - action learning - is not dependent on rich resourcing but on the determination of the human spirit. Each and every GULL participant - whether they work in a boardroom or in a rural community - must determine what he or she needs to learn and then journey with others to secure practical and professional outcomes. In the process, significant benefits arise like growth in individual self-esteem and confidence. There are many wider implications too as groups of action learners advance together and pass on their action learning expertise to others.

For more information, please read the ‘GULL story’ which is presented in three parts. Part 1 explains GULL's mission and mandate; Part 2 outlines GULL's approach to recognizing learning outcomes in the community and the workplace and Part 3 profiles the role of GULL’s officers and representatives and outlines the steps involved in affiliating and getting started with GULL.

This presentation outlines how the Global University for Lifelong Learning provides practical development pathways for those with limited educational access in the community and those who want to combine learning and working. GULL’s approach emphasizes self-help – hence GULL’s motto: ‘Enabling YOU to make a difference in OUR world’.

Please view our frequently asked questions (FAQ) section

GULL story 1: Mission - Explains GULL's purpose and mandate
GULL story 2: Pathways - GULL's approach to recognizing learning outcomes in the community and the workplace
GULL story 3: Affiliation - Outlines the basis on which organizations and officers affiliate with GULL's global network movement

 

Inspired yet? Do please explore the website and if you represent an organization, follow the steps in the 'Affiliate' section in order to begin using the GULL system. Aside from this, the main purpose of the website is to profile GULL's work, its mandate (recognition and endorsements) and to explain and illustrate how the GULL system works in practice. The best way to explore the site is to visit each section in sequence:

 

News

The news section features information about many of the GULL system applications around the world in community and workplace settings. The archive also includes details of GULL's launch event in the State Function Room, National Parliament House, Papua New Guinea on 5 October, 2007 as well as other national and regional initiatives. Do please read the stories, see the participants, note their comments and reflect on the possibilities for your organization.

 

Media

We would like you to see and hear about GULL in action - directly from our participants. The Media section features example case studies from the community and the workplace as well as other aspects of our work - from GULL's inauguration event through to English language press and TV coverage, briefings, other events and video endorsements. If for example, you would like to know more about the origins of action learning, view the videos of the late Dr Reg Revans in the Briefings section. These were kindly donated for this purpose from the personal archives of several internationally renowned writers on action learning.

 

Case Studies

GULL supports a wide range of community and workplace initiatives and to illustrate the possibilities and outcomes, this section contains example applications in case study format. Each case study contains a blend of words, pictures and video-based material in order to explain and illustrate some of the endless ways in which the GULL system can be deployed – from community mobilization through to operating system support for ‘own brand’ corporate business schools and corporate universities.

 

Recognition

The Recognition section includes full details of GULL's status as a non-profit public benefit corporation registered in California, USA and the University’s mandate. GULL is recognized in perpetuity by the Government of Papua New Guinea and endorsed by other Governments, Leaders & Institutions. We include endorsements from State & Government, Leaders and from Institutions. Official letters of endorsement are featured in original languages with an English translation where applicable.

 

Officers

Here you will find details of our honorary officers: Co Chancellors and Pro Chancellors (Heads of State, Government and other National and International leaders); Area Presidents and Vice Presidents (Area Presidents and Vice Presidents lead GULL's work in their respective nations or regions and in GULL affiliated organizations); Ambassadors (GULL's active supporters) and Elders (GULL's passive supporters). There are also profiles of GULL's co-founders and executive officers, Edward Mooney (Chairman) and Richard Teare (President).

 

Affiliate

In order to distribute the GULL system, GULL seeks to work in affiliation with work and community-based organizations. To facilitate this, we have developed a straight-forward affiliation procedure based on a code of practice. The purpose of the GULL code of practice is to protect the integrity of GULL in all community and workplace locations.

Prior to affiliation, prospective GULL system users are asked to nominate a representative so that the affiliation is based on a relationship. There are two ways to affiliate with GULL - either by completing and submitting the online form in the ‘Affiliate’ section of the website or via written correspondence with the appropriate GULL officer in your region of the world. Please note that we do not have the resources to engage with individuals or correspond about individual needs or scholarships. GULL only works through affiliated organizations.

After affiliating with GULL, you can get started. There are many ways of using the GULL system and so we have designed an easy to use ‘Getting started’ package that enables you to link the expected outcomes of your training and other kinds of development activity to GULL’s professional certification system. This approach ensures that you are able to build on what is already familiar to you and your organization.

GULL recognizes and certifies action learning outcomes and so all system users are responsible for monitoring and verifying progress and performance. Impact tracking is a mandatory requirement (as specified by GULL’s code of practice) as it enables user organizations to identify what is going well and where corrective action might be necessary. Second, it provides a body of evidence that links the cost of training and other inputs with the return on investment (ROI) in training and individual and organizational effort. In so doing, it is possible to track ROI over time and predict the longer term impact as GULL ‘cascades’ through the organization.

 

Contact Us | F.A.Q | Sitemap

If you have a general enquiry or you would like to view the FAQs about what GULL ‘does’ and ‘does not’ do, then visit this section. Again, please note that we do not have the resources to provide access to GULL for individual participants and in our view, action learning is not well suited to solitary learning. However, if you feel inspired by GULL’s mission but you don’t have organizational support, then consider how you might encourage others to join you in establishing a new network organization that could help distribute the GULL system. In the words of GULL's motto, we want to enable YOU to make a difference in OUR world.

GULL is reciprocal affiliate member of the Action Learning, Action Research Association (ALARA)

 

This website has been designed and is managed by Matthew Teare and I should like to thank Matt for giving endless amounts of his time, skills, creativity and enthusiasm to this cause. We hope that you will find the site thought-provoking and we look forward to working with you and your organization.

Richard Teare
President, GULL

© GULL | Global University for Lifelong Learning
Enabling YOU to make a difference in OUR world