Privacy Policy
Last Updated: August 23, 2026
Welcome to the Global Youth Congress. This Privacy Policy is issued by Global Learning LLC, a Delaware limited liability company with its registered address at 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, Delaware, 19958, United States, doing business as Global Youth Congress ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and to protecting the personal data of the students and families we serve. This Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the rights you hold under the data-protection law of your country and, where they apply, the GDPR and the CCPA.
For anything privacy-related — questions, requests, complaints, or the exercise of any right in this Policy — contact us at privacy@theglobalyouthcongress.com.
1. Data We Collect
We collect only the data necessary to fulfill our educational and travel services. We may collect:
1.1. Personal Information: Name (as it appears on the travel document, where applicable), email address, phone and WhatsApp number, school name and group, role within an educational institution, grade level, age, birthdate, gender as stated on the travel document, nationality, and home address.
1.2. Family & Emergency Contacts: The names, email addresses, and phone/WhatsApp numbers of the student's parents or legal guardians, and of a designated emergency contact who is not a parent or guardian.
1.3. Travel & Safety Data (Strictly for Trip Fulfillment): Passport details, visa or entry-authorization information, minors' travel permits (notarized letters), and relevant medical information (allergies, dietary restrictions, conditions, and the contents of the participant's medical kit note) required for safety during travel programs. Where our registration forms request document uploads, we hold copies of these documents, subject to the deletion timelines in Section 6.
1.4. Location Data (Travel Programs): During an international travel program, the participant's device location, collected continuously through the GYC-designated location-sharing application that every participant is required to keep active under the Travel Terms of Service. Location data is used solely for supervision and safety during the program.
1.5. Media: Photographs, video, and audio recordings of participants captured during programs. For travel programs these are used for the daily family album and for promotional and archival purposes under the license in the Travel Terms of Service; for all other programs, under the license in the Global Code of Conduct & Ethics.
1.6. Release-Verification Data: The name and government-issued photo identification details of adults authorized to sign a participant out of a program, collected to verify identity at handover.
1.7. Payment Information: Payment card details and banking information (processed via secure gateways; we do not store raw credit card numbers).
1.8. Technical Information: IP addresses, browser type, cookies, and browsing behavior on our platform.
1.9. Platform & Academic Data (Global Learning platform): Where a participant uses GYC's learning platform, we collect account information, coursework, assessment results, and participation records. Where the platform assists evaluation with automated tools, a qualified human reviews every consequential result; we do not train third-party AI models on student data, and we never use student data for advertising.
2. Purpose of Data Collection
We collect personal data exclusively for the following purposes:
2.1. To create and manage user accounts for the Global Youth Congress platform.
2.2. To process payments and fulfill educational travel programs (e.g., booking flights, hotels, and securing visas).
2.3. To ensure the physical safety and medical well-being of students during live events — including supervising participants' whereabouts through location sharing during travel programs.
2.4. To deliver the daily family album to the families of a travel program, and to use program media for promotional and archival purposes under the applicable license (Section 1.5).
2.5. To verify the identity of adults collecting or signing out a participant, as required by our safeguarding procedures.
2.6. To deliver, assess, and certify learning on the Global Learning platform (Section 1.9).
2.7. To provide customer support and respond to inquiries.
2.8. To communicate with users regarding their specific program logistics.
2.9. To analyze website traffic and user behavior through tools like Google Analytics (anonymized where possible).
2.10. To comply with legal, contractual, and regulatory requirements, including international travel laws.
3. How We Obtain Consent
3.1. Data Collection Checkboxes: For specific purposes such as marketing or program enrollment.
3.2. Cookies Banner: Users can choose which types of cookies they consent to.
3.3. Cross-Border Transfer Consent: Our systems are hosted in the United States. At registration we ask for your express consent to transfer your and your student's data to the United States for processing, as several of our families' national laws require (Section 8).
3.4. Minors & Institutional Registration (Crucial)
For users under the age of 18 (including participants as young as ten):
3.4.1. Role of the School: We recognize that registration is often handled by schools or educational institutions. By registering a student, the Institution warrants that it has obtained express written consent from the student's parents or legal guardians to share this data with us.
3.4.2. Direct Parental Registration: Where a parent or legal guardian registers a student directly, that parent provides consent themselves by accepting the applicable Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy at registration.
3.4.3. Parental Verification: We reserve the right to audit these consents or request direct parental verification at any time.
3.4.4. Local Consent Ages: Where the law of the student's country sets a specific digital-consent age or form requirement (for example, written consent requirements for sensitive data), we honor the stricter rule.
4. Sharing of Personal Data
4.1. We do NOT sell personal data. This is a strict policy. We never sell, rent, or trade the personal information of minors to third parties, and we never permit student data to be used for targeted advertising.
We share data with trusted third parties only when strictly necessary for the fulfillment of our services or the provision of specific educational opportunities:
4.2. Educational & Talent Partners: We may share student contact and performance data with specific university or talent partners under these strict conditions: direct relevance (the student participated in a program co-hosted by or directly involving that partner), opportunity focus (the purpose is solely to communicate specific opportunities such as scholarships, academic admissions, or talent recruitment), and logistical necessity (for programs co-run with a partner, sharing necessary for curriculum delivery and campus logistics).
4.3. Program Media Recipients: Program media may be shared as the applicable license permits — the daily album by private link with the families of that program only, and GYC-produced media with participating schools (for their own delegations) and with GYC's authorized resellers and distributors (commercial materials). Location data is never shared with any third party: it is accessible only to GYC staff and the accompanying educator during the program.
4.4. Medical, Telehealth & Travel Assistance Providers: Where a student needs care during a program, we share the student's relevant medical information with the treating provider — the telehealth service, local emergency medical services, and the travel-assistance provider that underwrites the certificate described in the Travel Terms of Service — strictly to obtain care and process assistance claims.
4.5. Travel & Program Vendors: Airlines, hotels, insurance providers, and ground transportation services (to fulfill the trip).
4.6. Payment Providers: Payment processors and banks (to process tuition).
4.7. Cloud & Hosting Services: Trusted partners who host our secure servers.
4.8. Analytics: Google Analytics and Meta Business Suite (aggregated data only).
4.9. All third parties we work with are bound by data-protection agreements and contractual clauses. Where the law of your country requires separate consent for a disclosure that is not integral to the service you requested, we obtain it separately.
5. Security Measures
We implement robust security measures to protect your data, including:
5.1. Encryption: SSL/TLS encryption protects data in transmission.
5.2. Access Controls: Administrative access to sensitive data requires two-factor authentication and is limited to personnel who need it.
5.3. Data Minimization: We only request data that is absolutely required for the specific program the student is attending.
5.4. Security Review: We review our security practices regularly to detect and prevent potential breaches, and we maintain a written security program for children's personal information.
6. Data Retention
We retain personal data only as long as necessary to provide services or fulfill contractual obligations. Data collected at registration is held from the moment you provide it — which may be many months before travel — until the applicable deadline below. Specific retention periods include:
6.1. Financial Records: Retained for 7 years to comply with tax and audit regulations.
6.2. Liability Waivers & Contracts: Retained for 5 years post-program to comply with legal statutes of limitation.
6.3. Release & Sign-Out Records: The record of each release — who signed the student out, the ID type verified, the attesting staff member, and the times — is retained for 5 years post-program alongside waivers and contracts, as a safeguarding and liability record. Copies of the authorized adult's identification document are deleted within 30 days after the completion of the trip, unless a specific incident requires their preservation for a legal claim. If the registration is cancelled or transferred before travel, the copies are deleted within 30 days of the cancellation.
6.4. Location Data: Deleted within 30 days after the completion of the trip; it is never used for any purpose after the program ends.
6.5. Program Media: Retained under the applicable license (Section 1.5), which includes a route to request removal of specific published material.
6.6. Travel Documentation (Passports/Visas): Copies securely deleted 30 days after the completion of the trip — or, where the registration is cancelled or transferred before travel, within 30 days of the cancellation.
6.7. Platform & Academic Data: Retained while the student's account is active; academic records may be retained longer where needed to certify completed learning.
6.8. Inactive User Accounts: Deleted after 2 years of inactivity.
Once the retention period expires, we securely delete or anonymize your data. You may request deletion earlier unless we are required by law to retain it. We never retain children's personal information indefinitely.
7. Your Rights
7.1. Rights Under Your Local Law (Latin America)
Most GYC families are protected by the data-protection law of their own country. Wherever you are, you may exercise the ARCO rights — Access, Rectification, Cancellation (deletion), and Opposition — over your data and your student's data by writing to privacy@theglobalyouthcongress.com. This includes, among others:
7.1.1. Costa Rica — rights under Ley 8968 (Protección de la Persona frente al Tratamiento de sus Datos Personales); we respond within the statutory five business days.
7.1.2. Mexico — ARCO rights under the LFPDPPP, including express written consent for sensitive data.
7.1.3. Argentina — access, rectification, and deletion rights under Law 25.326 (Habeas Data).
7.1.4. Other countries — the equivalent rights your national law provides. We honor the stricter of this Policy and your local law.
7.2. GDPR Rights (For EU/EEA Residents, Where Applicable)
Access, correction, deletion ("Right to be Forgotten"), data portability, and objection to specific processing. Contact privacy@theglobalyouthcongress.com.
7.3. CCPA Rights (For California Residents, Where Applicable)
The right to know what personal information we have collected in the past 12 months; the right to request deletion subject to legal or contractual requirements; the right to opt out of data sales (we do not sell personal data); and the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights.
8. International Data Transfers
As an international organization, we transfer data to servers and partners located outside your home country — principally to the United States, where our systems are hosted. We protect these transfers through your express transfer consent collected at registration (Section 3.3), data-protection agreements with every processor, and, where applicable, Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).
9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience on our website. You can manage your cookie preferences through our Cookies Banner or browser settings.
10. Breach Notification
If a data breach affects your or your student's personal data, we will notify you and the competent authority without undue delay and within any legally mandated window (for example, five days where Costa Rican law applies), telling you what happened, what data was involved, and what we are doing about it.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
The Global Youth Congress reserves the right to modify, amend, or replace this Privacy Policy at any time, at our sole discretion.
11.1. Notification of Changes: If we make material changes to how we process personal data, we will notify you by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy and, where required by law, by providing notice via email or a prominent banner on our website.
11.2. Applicability to Active Registrations: If we modify this Privacy Policy after you have registered for a specific program but before that program's fulfillment is complete, the terms that were in effect at the time of your official registration will continue to govern that specific transaction, unless you explicitly consent to the new terms. If you do not agree to the new terms, the original terms will apply until the completion of your registered program.
11.3. New Registrations: Any registration for a new or subsequent program made after the "Effective Date" of an updated policy will require your acceptance of the new terms.
11.4. Continued Use: For general website use (non-program specific), your continued access to or use of our services after any revisions become effective constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.
12. Contact Us
For any question about this Privacy Policy or to exercise any right it describes:
Global Learning LLC, dba Global Youth Congress privacy@theglobalyouthcongress.com 16192 Coastal Highway Lewes, DE 19958 United States
Safeguarding concerns (a child's safety, not data): safeguarding@theglobalyouthcongress.com.