GULL Highlights - 2009

January - Tearfund & GULL: West & East Africa
Church & Community Mobilization
A Tearfund-GULL pilot is underway in Sierra Leone, West Africa, based on Tearfund’s highly regarded Church & Community Mobilization Programme (CCMP).

GULL’s role is to verify, recognize and certify the outcomes of CCMP and to encourage participants to sustain both personal and church/community momentum by cascading and engaging with others. Participants who undertake CCMP are eligible to receive two certificates - GULL’s Bachelor Level 3 Diploma (on completion of the mid-point review) and GULL’s Bachelor of Professional Studies degree (Church & Community Mobilization) on completion of CCMP.

‘What excites me about GULL is the opportunity to recognize the efforts of those who are creating change and impact. Typically this is driven by community members who do not have academic qualifications. GULL can affirm their God-given potential.’

- Francis Njoroge, Tearfund’s Lead Facilitator, CCMP, Africa, reflects on progress at a meeting in Nairobi, 21 September, 2009.

 

February - Compassion International
Compassion serves almost 1 million children in Asia, Africa, Middle & South America

(Right) Map of locations: Compassion partners with more that 60 different church denominations in support of almost 5,000 individual projects.

GULL is supporting Compassion’s Child Sponsor Programme (CSP) and can help to facilitate the learning journey into early adulthood and beyond at a tiny fraction of the cost associated with academic learning alternatives.

We are creating a Compassion-GULL professional Bachelor degree pathway to provide a stepping stone potentially for 99 percent of the poorest children, offering them a credible alternative, a practical option for the majority and a prospect for hope and further achievement for children and sponsors alike. Our foundation step is to provide a development pathway to professional Bachelor degree for implementing church partner (ICP) tutors.

 

Compassion & GULL: Serving the poorest
Compassion has some 5,000 ICPs around the world and our starting point is Africa, where few of the tutors (an unpaid, voluntary role) have any qualifications. The purpose is to encourage them and reward the efforts of tutors as they work to professionalize the tutor’s role in support of Compassion’s CSP. We believe that this will also help to address the high turnover rate among volunteer tutors. We aim to do this by:

1. Providing a self-development pathway for tutors that builds self-confidence, professionalism and greater effectiveness via team-based project work.
2. Linking participation (and any ongoing development to professional Master level) to a service agreement so as to stabilize tutor turnover and enable newly certified tutors to cascade the GULL system to past and present members of the child development centre in their community.

March - Sandals Resorts International, Caribbean
More than 20 resorts, five Caribbean Nations
OUR workplace IS the business school …

‘It’s an amazing journey and I love the opportunity that GULL provides to reflect on my own learning needs. If you don’t know yourself, you can’t move forward in any area and this is a core benefit of the process.’ CL (initials), Front Office Manager, Sandals Negril, Jamaica

 

April - Sandals Resorts International (SRI):
Why are we deploying the GULL system in all our resorts?

‘Our role in HR and training is to facilitate the development of our team members so that they grow in confidence, realize who they are, how they contribute and how they can continue improving. GULL’s action learning process is drawing us closer together as we embark on this journey. We are seeing transformed team members and they can’t keep it to themselves because they want others to experience this too. We are the custodians and champions for GULL in every resort – enabling and encouraging our team members to engage in lifelong, workplace learning.’ Phillip Brown, SRI Group Director,

Sandals HR & Training team, Jamaica

 

Wayne Cummings, SRI Group Director, Business Processes & Administration believes that GULL can facilitate self actualization via personal growth at work.

 

 

Sandals Resorts International:
A faster way of learning; A smarter way of working

The goal is to ensure that the rate of learning at Sandals Resorts International (SRI) keeps pace with the rate of change. By embedding the GULL system, outstanding customer service, learning, improvement and enhanced performance can be interwoven with business objectives. Team member-led projects are already delivering costs savings, new revenue and other improvements.

‘The GULL process initiates and drives a cycle of professional growth - reflecting, reviewing, correcting and improving – using the experience from action learning to create a better future. Our team members work long and hard in our resorts … our aim is to work smarter but not harder.’ Phillip Brown, SRI Group Director, HR Training & Service Standards

(right) Marsha Ann Brown, SRI Group Director comments on the nature of accountability that the GULL process encourages: ‘GULL’s approach enables learners to measure their own impact on a daily basis.’

How will workplace learning help the business?

‘As the action occurs, the learning takes place. GULL offers a workplace approach that is ideally suited to the Sandals Group.’ (left) Howard Spittle, General Manager, Beaches Boscobel, Jamaica.

‘Not many of us find it easy to reflect on our achievements at work. The GULL process helps me to do this in detail and I realized how significant the learning journey was after completing a learning review for myself.

What did I really learn? What am I taking forward? In a traditional educational setting there are books to read and other things to do – but how much of this really transfers into the day to day work environment?’ (above, right) Winston Anderson, General Manager, Sandals Grande St Lucian Resort & Spa, St Lucia.

 

Professional Bachelor level 5:
Bachelor degree (Hospitality & Tourism Management)

Professional Bachelor degree graduates, Beaches Turks & Caicos (BTC), 9 March 2009.

‘We do training every day, but it is the development (and self-development) that is most important. Action learning is the best way to accomplish this because the team member benefits and the company benefits. Action learning has made a huge difference here at BTC. If you have started working already, then the best way to enhance your career is through action learning.’

Dr Shelly-Ann Whitely-Clarke, Regional Training & Development Manager, Sandals Resorts

June - GULL Sarawak, East Malaysia launch, 19 June 2009

Pictured (left to right): Dr Thomas Anak Buan, Dr Anuar Abdullah, the Right Honourable YB Sharifah Hasidan Sayeed Aman Ghazali and Dr Richard Teare, GULL President at the corporate business school (CBS) launch, Hilton Hotel, Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia on 19 June 2009.

The Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) provides a customizable system that companies, associations, social and community groups and other organizations can use to create an ‘own brand’ corporate school. The purpose is to integrate learning and working in a practical, affordable way so that participants can earn recognized qualifications by addressing organizational challenges and their own learning needs.

 

July - The Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) consist of 40 islands and cays, eight of which are inhabited. The islands are located 550 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, just below the Bahamas chain and just to the northeast of Cuba and north of the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti.)

The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) operates all the TCI’s regional airports.

John T Smith, Chief Executive, TCIAA

TCIAA & GULL
TCIAA runs eight airports in the TCI: Providenciales International, Grand Turk International, North Caicos International, South Caicos International, Middle Caicos, Salt Cay, Pine Cay and Ambergris Cay.

‘It has been a remarkable journey – the GULL process raised many questions for me. I have discovered a lot about myself and it is helping me to think about what I need to do to make myself even better. I want to endorse the action learning process. You can sit in the Air Traffic Control unit, participate in a discussion and learn so much in a few minutes - it would takes months to learn these same things in a university classroom.’ EM (initials), Air Traffic Controller and Supervisor, TCIAA.

‘Thank you staying with it and for completing your individual projects. I have seen the difference and you’ll be working even more closely together at the next level as you journey together via group projects.’

Claudia Been-Munnings, Human Resources, Training & Development Manager

 

Sandals & Beaches Resorts
GULL Graduation Events 3-30 July 09 - Caribbean

Left: Sandals Montego Bay graduation 9 July 09. Participants from: Sandals Royal Caribbean, Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Resorts International. Right: Sandals & Beaches Ocho Rios graduation 12 July 09. Participants from: Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Grande Ocho Rios, Royal Plantation and Beaches Boscobel

Left: St Lucia graduation 16 July 09 at the Sandals Grande. Participants from Sandals Grande St Lucian. Right: Antigua graduation, Grand Pineapple Resort, 28 July 09

Above: Beaches Turks & Caicos graduation, 20 July 2009. Pictured above is the BL2/BL3 group completing BL2. 115 participants graduated between 20-22 July.

September - Kenya, East Africa
22 September: GULL briefing and discussions in Nairobi hosted by the Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya (FPFK) and attended by representatives from Africa Christian Missions International, Compassion International, FPFK, Tearfund and World Vision International.

Encouraged by progress with the Tearfund Church & Community Mobilization Process (CCMP) pilot in Sierra Leone, Jonas (Country Representative, Tearfund, Sudan) and Peter (Country Representative, Tearfund, Tanzania) are keen to adopt GULL in support of their own CCMP work. A GULL doctoral group has been established for the leaders of the participating organizations, chaired by Dr Sarone Ole Sena, Learning & Support Director, Compassion International EAA/Africa.

FPFK FGM project: Action learning for cultural change. The Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya (FPFK) is using the GULL system to help sustain its work in the Maasai region and throughout Kenya.

Right: Micael Olsson (left), Global Education Advisor, World Vision International, Girma Begashaw (centre), National Director, World Vision Kenya and Salome Ong’ele (right), National Education Co-ordinator, World Vision Kenya.

Left: Sarone Ole Sena (left), Learning & Support Director, Compassion International, Africa, Richard Teare & Francis Njoroge (right), Tearfund’s Lead Facilitator, Church & Community Mobilization Process (CCMP).

 

 

October - Malaysia, Singapore & Indonesia

Right: September 09: KC Chan (centre) and Christopher Goh (right) visit Banbury UK to explore how their charitable foundation might affiliate with GULL in support of their work in Singapore and Indonesia.

Left: October 09: Advancing GULL’s work in SE Asia with GULL’s fantastic Malaysia-based team led by Dr Chay and Dr Tang

 

 

November - Action Learning and Action Research
Songlines through Interviews

Dr Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt is a world-renowned specialist in action learning and action research. Among many other initiatives, Ortrun organized the First World Congress on action learning, action research and process management (ALARPM) in Brisbane in 1990. Ortrun has published 31 books and her latest: ‘Action Learning and Action Research: Songlines through Interviews’ was published in 2009. If you want to know more about action learning, do read this wonderful book – GULL is the subject of chapter 9.

Ortrun writes: ‘I have used and promoted action learning for more than thirty years in higher education and in professional and management development around the world and in the context of organization development and leadership programmes in developing countries. It is in developing countries that action learning is particularly well suited to the challenges faced by the disadvantaged and the poorest. In view of my own experience and observations, I was delighted to hear about the launch and development of the GULL system and I am honoured to support GULL as a member of the Eldership panel. I wholeheartedly support GULL’s philosophy, mission, method and philanthropy.’

 

December - World Vision International (WVI), Seattle, USA
Community of Practice (CoP), Education & Life Skills

December 2-4, 2009: WVI launches its CoP for Education & Life Skills with a design and implementation workshop at the Palisades Retreat Center, Seattle, USA. This event was especially significant for GULL as we explored ways in which the GULL lifelong learning system might be used to facilitate the greater use of action learning and encourage, recognize and certify the learning outcomes of WVI’s staff and volunteer community workers – globally. A BRILLIANT conclusion to the year, THANK YOU Micael and the WVI global team.

Left: Dr Micael Olsson, Global Education Advisor, WVI presents his vision for the wider adoption of action learning; Right: Members of the CoP at the final session.

 

Thankyou for supporting GULL in 2009
My particular thanks to:

• GULL action learners your learning coaches and support team members for journeying with us and for your remarkable learning outcomes.
• Micael (World Vision International); Sarone and Wolf (Compassion International); Martin and Francis (Tearfund) and the NGO teams who are busy cascading GULL to the volunteers in the toughest places. Incredible possibilities!
• Phillip, Sam, Andrea, Shelly-Ann, Howard, Novlette, Winston, Marsha and the Sandals Resorts family. It is a privilege to work with you.
• John and Claudia (TCIAA): GULL is flying in an airport environment!
• Sir Paulias Matane, Founding Chancellor, GULL – for his vision, example and constant encouragement.
• The GULL executive team – for their enthusiasm and support.
• GULL’s honorary officers – for their leadership and for serving with love.
• Those from different traditions and faiths who are praying for GULL and supporting our mission to the MANY.
  

I should like to wish you a healthy, happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.
God bless you,

Richard Teare, President, GULL

GULL is a not-for-profit foundation registered in California, USA. GULL is recognized by the Government of Papua New Guinea & endorsed by other Governments, Leaders & Institutions.