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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.
Rakhat (Ray) from Kazakhstan didn’t start out as “my” exchange student. When he arrived on his FLEX program in 2018, I already had 7 students I’d placed in my area to coordinate and look after. But something happened and Ray–and his exchange brother, Nelson–moved to my crew of exchange kids and host families.
It was already a couple of months into the school year. Moves can be like starting over, and I wanted to make sure these two boys felt welcome in my Coordinator family of students and host families. I invited the family to join us for our group holiday party.
They seemed very self-conscious with my tight-knit group though they gradually relaxed. But still, I sensed something was off with Ray and his host family. I dug in.
Turns out, Ray’s host parents were not prepared for the responsibilities of hosting, they were not well matched, and the school was sorely lacking for Ray.
I decided to move Ray to the home of Olivia, a single teacher. To meet his academic needs, I transferred him to a better school where he could be challenged and make friends. He had hoped for a family with kids, but Olivia was great with him.
As a FLEX scholarship student, he was anxious to be involved, and with our encouragement he began jumping at opportunities to volunteer, participating in many school and community activities.
When he returned home, he and I messaged for months and I reminded him of how his year changed from beginning to end and how much he had grown –and would continue to grow– because of the challenge he’d experienced. I reminded him of all the good things he’d done and the people whose hearts he had touched. I told him he had made a difference here–and I knew he always would, wherever he was.
He is a university student now and has spent a semester in Moscow on an internship. He has served as a university representative for American Councils and FLEX. He is leading, and because of his challenges here, he will know how to advise others along their way.
I tell Ray’s story because as an LC you must expect the unexpected. A good LC is alert to nuances in a family or a student’s communications. You’ll need the ability to read between the lines. Kids and parents alike won’t always tell you when things aren’t quite right. It is an LC’s responsibility to find that perfect host home for each of our exchange students. Sometimes it is perfect. Sometimes it isn’t the best match. A Local Coordinator has to be ready to pivot, to make it right for the student, for the family.
Expect to wear many hats–parent, counselor, friend, sports mom! Expect to sometimes wander into uncharted territory. Expect to feel you don’t have the skills or tools, only to discover …YOU DO. Expect to fail sometimes, but also expect to succeed in ways you never imagined. Expect to cry and to laugh, to get mad, to be sad, and also to cheer and to be oh-so-proud.
We learn as we go. I learn something new every year. And it’s often humbling–just when I think I’ve got it all figured out. Trust me, you’ll never have it all figured out. But if you pay attention and trust your gut, your heart will lead you to the right answers to help the students–and you–succeed.
THANK YOU Connie for sharing your wisdom as a Local Coordinator.
If you think this is a role perfect for you, please visit PlacewithGreenheart.org to begin an application.