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Privacy Notice
Greenheart International
Effective Date: 1/9/2019
This privacy notice describes how Greenheart International collects, uses, and discloses Personally Identifying Information (also known as “PII”) or Personal Data (collectively “Personal Information”) from and about users of Greenheart International websites. This privacy notice also applies to any associated paper forms. Please read this privacy notice before using Greenheart International websites or submitting any personal information.
These practices may be changed at any time. Changes will be posted along with the date of the change. You should review this privacy notice when you visit Greenheart International websites to make sure that you understand how Personal Information is collected, used, and disclosed.
The Personal Information you provide to us is only used to:
We may use non-Personal Information for additional reasons described in the remainder of this privacy notice.
If you identify yourself to us by sending us an email with questions or comments, we may retain your comments for future reference.
Greenheart collects Personal Information, which is information that on its own or in combination with other information may be used to identify, contact, or locate an individual. Examples include:
Greenheart International collects other information that relates to you but does not identify you. Examples include clickstream data and web-browsing information (such as the date and time you visit a website, whether you click on various advertisements or links and the search terms you enter when using a website), and information about your computer, device and internet connection, and geographic location.
We collect Personal Information from you in the following ways:
We may share information gathered by us from Greenheart International websites with governmental agencies or other companies assisting us in providing services to you. We may do so when:
Information provided under one of the four preceding bullet points will not be used by those receiving it for marketing purposes, unless specifically authorized by the user.
Third parties who provide webhosting services or other services that make possible the operation of Greenheart International websites and the services you request through the websites may have access to information that you provide us to the extent that those third parties require access to our databases to service the websites.
In connection with the sale or transfer of all or part of our assets, we reserve the right to transfer information we have obtained from or about you.
We are not responsible for any breach of security or for any actions of any third parties that receive information from us.
Greenheart International websites are hosted and maintained in the United States of America. Your Personal Information may be transmitted to countries outside of the European Economic Area, including the United States of America. You can obtain details of the mechanism under which your personal data is transferred outside the EU by contacting us. If your Personal Information is transferred outside the European Economic Area to third party service providers, we will take steps to ensure that your Personal Information receives the same level of protection as if it remained within the European Economic Area, including by entering into data transfer agreements using the European Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses, or by relying on certification schemes such as the EU–US Privacy Shield.
Greenheart International websites use cookie and tracking technology to collect non-Personal Information. Our system also automatically gathers information about areas you visit on our websites, and about the links you select from within one of our websites to the other areas of the World Wide Web or elsewhere online. We use such information in the aggregate to understand how our users as a group use the services and resources provided on our websites. This way we know which areas of our websites are preferred by our users, which areas need improvement, and what technologies are being used so that we may continually improve our websites. Personal Information cannot be collected via cookies and other tracking technology, however, if you previously provided us with your Personal Information, cookies may be tied to such information. Aggregate cookie and tracking information may be shared with third parties but that aggregate information does not identify individual website users. Our web servers do not record visitor email addresses unless that information is submitted by the visitor. We may determine what technology is available through your browser to provide you with the most appropriate version of a web page. Greenheart International uses Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Gravity Forms, Yoast, Formstack, Calendly, GoOverseas, and other web traffic tracking tools.
Greenheart International websites contain links to other websites. These links are for your convenience. We do not control, endorse or review the privacy notices of other websites, which may be different than this privacy notice. You should review the privacy notice of other websites before choosing to disclose Personal Information.
Greenheart takes steps to secure your Personal Information. We exercise care in providing secure transmissions when we need to transfer your Personal Information from our servers. Our websites use secure server software encryption, which is indicated by https in the url of the website. Encryption is a common method of ensuring that information remains private. Greenheart International cannot guarantee or warrant that the information that you transmit to us, or any communications is completely secure.
Greenheart International only retains data for as long as necessary for the purposes indicated in this privacy notice or for such other period as may be permitted or required by law.
For children age 14-16, Greenheart International takes additional steps to protect their Personal Information. We do not intend to collect Personal Information from children aged 13 or younger. These additional steps include:
The marks Greenheart, Greenheart Heart Logo, and Sobresmesa are either registered or unregistered trademarks of Greenheart International. All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized use is prohibited.
Certain jurisdictions provide their residents or citizens with certain rights about their Personal Information. These may include the right to request access to the data we hold about you, to obtain a copy of your Personal Information, to request that your Personal Information be erased, to correct inaccurate information, to ask us to restrict how we process your Personal Information, or to withdraw your consent to our processing of your Personal Information. Your individual rights will depend on your residency and citizenship.
Please contact us using the following information for more information about this privacy notice, to notify us of a concern or complaint, or to exercise any of the individual rights you may have.
Data Protection Officer
By mail: 742 N LaSalle Dr. Chicago, IL 60654 Suite 300, USA
By email: click here
By phone: +1 312-944-2544
Additionally, all marketing emails and newsletters from Greenheart International allow you to opt out of further correspondence. You can do so by clicking the link within the emails, which will guide you on how to opt-out.
While on a Job Fair in China, Greenheart Exchange Employer Services Coordinator, Rob, was able to sit down with Somnus! Somnus was a participant on the program in 2012 and again in 2013 with a different visa sponsor. The two had an in-depth interview regarding Somnus’ motivation for participating in the program, cultural exchange, and how the program has influenced Somnus’ current work life. Below, find the first part of a fun and insightful interview!
Why did you participate in the SWT program?
When I participated in the Summer Work Travel program back in 2012, I was in my freshman year in college. Everything was new to me and I was interested in everything. Frank (from EFCN) came to my university for a promotional conference. I was charmed by his presentation and felt like I really understood what the program would be like. The Summer Work Travel program completed the requirements of my college life and I wanted to see what a native English speaker’s daily life was like; my parents also supported me in my decision! Also, I was interested in Western culture, from movies and TV, so I didn’t think it was a big challenge to go another country. I didn’t think too much about the work experience, but instead I was motivated to go on the program because I was interested in learning about Western culture and American culture in particular.
What does cultural exchange mean to you?
Cultural exchange means that you change in some of the small details. For example, before I went to America, I just knew about French fries and McBurgers, but after visiting the country, I know about tacos, and what the daily life and vocabulary of Americans are like. Cultural exchange gives you the small details and changes your perspective.
Before my program, I was confused why Americans do certain things and have so much individualism. In China, everybody likes to walk in pairs or hold hands. I was curious about how independent American students can be, and I wondered if I could be as independent as them. Cultural exchange brings me a feeling that we’re not as different as we thought. We share some basic knowledge. We might treat things differently, but you shouldn’t judge people because they treat things differently than you do. I didn’t understand American culture before this.
What did you learn about the United States or American culture?
If you make a mistake, they’re just angry about the mistake – not about who you are. They’re not angry at you because of your appearance because you’re short or fat or anything else. They only want to solve the problem. I learned this one time when I was working in a restaurant, and we were supposed to take out the shrimp. The shrimp was in a plastic bucket, and it was hot. The manager told me to pour out the water before throwing out the shrimp, but when we tried to do that, the shrimp fell out. I was a little bit angry because the manager told me one thing, and the chef told me to do the task a different way. I was confused who I should be listening to, and as a result, did the task incorrectly; however, I realized that they weren’t angry with me, they were just angry with the problem.
What kind of challenges did you face when you came to the U.S.?
I was a very independent student, so I wasn’t very worried about challenges; I would just use Google for any of my questions. My first year on the program, with Greenheart, I don’t think there was a challenge. The second year, I came back on the Summer Work Travel program with a different visa sponsor. It made me realize that many of the visa sponsors care about new students they enroll in this program, but some of the sponsors pay less attention to participants who are coming back on the program, like the sponsor I used for my second summer. When we first arrived, we didn’t have solid housing and we had to wait a whole week to get work. So the second year, I was sad because of the housing situation. They did provide housing, but I compare it with the housing that I had the first time. So it made me upset. I was a little bit picky about the house, so I moved out. Sometimes, the second experience might not be as good as the first one. Between the first time and the second time on the program, you shouldn’t be narrow-minded, because there aren’t a lot of participants that go on the program twice – so be sure to do your research and communicate with your visa sponsor, especially if it is different than the first time.
What did you learn from your experience, and how did it help to prepare you for the work you are doing now?
I have experienced this program in many different ways. I was once a participant, and I then was an intern at a local sending agency. Now I’m a program operator for a sending agency! The first time I went to the United States was in 2012, so this has all happened in the last five years. I’ve gone from recruiting participants for the Job Fair as an assistant, and now I have my own Job Fair that I’m running. These two experiences have made me learn that you can live very independently.
You must talk to someone, and then you will know what kind of a person they are. You can’t judge people by their appearance. Another thing I have learned is about religions; the first year I was in the United States, my neighbor and his wife were Christian. This was interesting because in China people don’t really go to church much. He and his wife were wonderful people. They were not looking for any reward for being nice, and they treat you like their daughter or their son. They love you for no reason! The second year I did the program I was in Ocean City, and we saw an old lady struggling to get her husband in his wheelchair on the steps, so we helped her. Afterward, she insisted on buying us sandwiches and driving us home. So, I would say that the biggest lessons I learned were kindness and independence.
Are you curious about what you could learn in a foreign country? Join Greenheart Exchange on the Summer Work Travel to embark on a cultural exchange adventure!