Privacy Policy

Seeds of Hope International Peace Leadership Academy ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website seedsofhope.academy.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

We may collect information you voluntarily provide when you:

• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Make a donation
• Submit an application
• Contact us through our website
• Participate in surveys or feedback requests

This information may include:

• Name and contact information (email, phone, address)
• Demographic information (country, age)
• Payment information (processed securely by third-party providers)
• Application materials (resume, essays, references)

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

• IP address and approximate location
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited and time spent
• Referring website
• Device type and operating system

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Process donations and send acknowledgment receipts
• Evaluate applications to our programs
• Send newsletters and updates (with your consent)
• Respond to inquiries and support requests
• Improve our website and services
• Comply with legal obligations
• Protect against fraud and misuse

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For visitors from the European Economic Area, we process your personal data based on:

• Consent: For marketing communications and cookies
• Contract: To process applications and donations
• Legitimate interests: To improve our services and prevent fraud
• Legal obligation: To comply with applicable laws

Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on our website. Cookies are small data files stored on your device. We use:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website (with your consent)
• Preference cookies: Remember your choices and settings

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

Third-Party Services

We may use third-party services that collect and process data on our behalf:

• Payment processors: For secure donation processing (Stripe, PayPal)
• Analytics: To understand website usage (Google Analytics, configured for GDPR compliance)
• Email services: To send newsletters and communications (Mailchimp)
• Hosting: Cloudflare for website hosting and security

These services have their own privacy policies and may be located in countries outside your jurisdiction.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

• Fulfill the purposes described in this policy
• Comply with legal, accounting, or reporting requirements
• Resolve disputes and enforce agreements

Donor records are retained for at least 7 years for tax and accounting purposes. Application data is retained for 3 years to support alumni relations.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations)
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured format
• Object: Opt out of certain processing activities
• Withdraw consent: At any time for consent-based processing

To exercise these rights, please contact us at seedsofhope@corrymeela.org.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS)
• Secure data storage with access controls
• Regular security assessments
• Staff training on data protection

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

International Transfers

As an international organization, we may transfer your data to countries outside your jurisdiction. When we do so, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities.

Children's Privacy

Our programs serve young adults aged 18-30. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on our website and updating the "Last updated" date.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Corrymeela

Ballycastle, BT54 6QU
Northern Ireland

Email: seedsofhope@corrymeela.org
Phone: +44 28 2076 2626

For data protection inquiries specifically, you may also contact our Data Protection Officer at privacy@seedsofhope.academy.