The C-SHAW Volunteer Hub ("we", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of our students, staff, and volunteers. This policy outlines how we handle your personal information in accordance with South African privacy standards, including the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
1. Information We Collect
We collect information necessary to manage volunteer activities, academic records, and career development tools:
- Personal Identifiers: Name, Surname, Student/Staff Number, and University Email Address.
- Activity Data: Volunteer hours logged, specific events attended, roles held, and campus affiliations.
- System Data: Standard access logs, session tokens, and login timestamps to ensure platform security.
2. How We Use Your Data
Your data is used exclusively to enhance your student experience and manage our programs:
- Verifying student identity and maintaining academic standing integrity.
- Tracking and authenticating community engagement hours for official certification.
- Generating aggregate, anonymized reports for the Centre of Student Health and Wellness (C-SHAW) management.
- Providing automated career development services (e.g., generating CV bullet points based on your verified hours).
3. Third-Party Services & AI Processing
We do not sell or trade your personal data. However, to provide advanced platform features, we utilize trusted third-party service providers:
- AI Career Toolkit: To generate professional CV summaries and statements, your verified hours, roles, and event names are securely transmitted to an external Artificial Intelligence provider (e.g., OpenAI API). We do not send your contact information, and your data is explicitly opted-out of being used to train their public AI models.
- Hosting & Email: We use secure cloud infrastructure to host our database and manage automated email communications (e.g., RSVP confirmations).
4. Data Security & Retention
We implement stringent security measures, including password encryption (hashing), secure session management, and SSL encryption, to protect your account. Your data is retained only for as long as you are an active student or alumni engaging with C-SHAW, or as required by university data retention policies. Unused accounts and associated data may be anonymized or securely deleted after a period of prolonged inactivity.
5. Your Privacy Rights
Under POPIA, you have the right to:
- Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Request the deletion of your account and associated personal data (subject to university record-keeping requirements).
6. Contact Us
If you have questions about your data, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have concerns about this policy, please contact our administrative team at support@cshaw.co.za.