On a [global] mission
Powered by Academic Experiences Abroad (AEA), the Global Learning Library (GLL) is a place to learn from and connect with people around the world, while supporting social causes as well as our environment. Even though we can’t physically be together -right now - sustained, personal and virtual connections can actually make future, in-person interactions more meaningful.
Educators, businesses, non-profit organizations, families, and curious people of any age can use our library of recorded videos and network of live, virtual speakers to enhance their own classes, professional work, trainings, goals, and life-long learning.
Furthermore, GLL recognizes the challenges that climate change presents to the world, and thus will be a carbon-negative, benefit company. To do so, we are committing to:
Contributing 1% of our sales to projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere, including all of the carbon that our company emits, such as Internet usage, utilities, travel and purchases related to the company. See 1% For The Planet, by Patagonia’s founder for more on the reasoning behind this goal.
Contributing a minimum 5% of profits, minus 1% of sales, to the world’s most vulnerable populations. See The Life You Can Save, by the ethicist Peter Singer, for more information on this important topic.
Details of our emissions and contributions will be available on our website as soon as we finalize them, as well as ways for you to move in the same direction. This is a large project, so bear with us as we pull it all together.
…and we aren’t just a platform
Jamie Andrew, the woman behind the GLL curtain. She loves nothing more than bringing people together (in person or virtually!). Her chosen superpower would be to speak every language fluently. She compensates by talking a lot, mostly in English, sometimes in Spanish.
Sam Brier, founder and the one behind our carbon and social impact initiatives. He misses traveling and meeting people (in person), but he knows he’s not alone. It’s his goal that we are all able to connect in an environment that fosters ideas rather than rage, solutions instead of problems- and to do so sustainably and ethically.
Allison Edmunds, AKA the one who makes it happen. She’s embracing the virtual world and loves the ability to meet with a variety of talented speakers from a multitude of countries (all in a morning’s work). Her coffee and dog by her side are just the icing on the cake!
What Inspired the Library?
When COVID hit, travel stopped — but we didn’t. When study abroad programs were canceled, AEA, the developer of GLL, immediately offered universities the opportunity to hold their planned meetings, conversations, and site visits virtually. The live meetings were successful, and recordings were made. That led to the Virtual Speakers Directory.
We were then asked for recorded sessions, starting with a Sustainability focus for the University of South Dakota. From there, we developed this Global Learning Library to include more topics, support Diversity Training for businesses, educational tools and exchanges for schools, and speaker series with more to come.
Click the image to watch a video to learn how universities have been using the GLL
“The Graduate Student Government Association at Emory has had a blast partnering with the Global Learning Library and AEA to learn from these incredible speakers. Our students and faculty have informed us that these events are informative and captivating, so we can’t wait to continue learning from these amazing people. Thanks, GLL! ”