Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

YouthForward ("we," "us," or "our") is a Canadian nonprofit program operating in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, as part of a coordinated community ecosystem. We connect at-risk youth, high school graduates, students who left post-secondary without finishing, and newcomer youth with mentors, skills development, peer support, and pathway planning — completely free of charge.

We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Ontario privacy laws.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only what is necessary to connect you with support and track your progress. This may include:

• Your name and contact information (email address, phone number) when you reach out or enroll
• Basic background information you choose to share — age range, current situation, goals
• Language preferences and availability to help us make the best mentor match
• Program participation records — which programs you are enrolled in and your progress
• PathSpark waitlist information if you choose to register
• Information you provide when applying to volunteer as a mentor or facilitator
• Technical information such as IP address or browser type, collected automatically when you visit our website

We never require you to disclose sensitive personal history to receive support. You share only what you are comfortable sharing.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information solely to:

• Respond to your request for support or inquiry
• Match you with an appropriate mentor based on your interests, background, and goals
• Enroll you in skills development, peer support circles, or pathway planning sessions
• Track your program progress and provide appropriate follow-up support
• Connect you with other ecosystem programs where appropriate and with your consent
• Manage the PathSpark employer waitlist
• Process mentor and facilitator applications
• Report anonymized, aggregate outcomes to grant funders as required

We will never use your information for marketing purposes or share it with advertisers.

4. Confidentiality of Conversations

All conversations between a young person and their mentor, coordinator, or peer circle facilitator are strictly confidential. Our mentors and facilitators are trained through CommunityRise and bound by confidentiality agreements.

Confidentiality has limited exceptions only where required by law or to protect safety:

• Where there is an immediate risk of harm to you or others
• Where there is a reasonable suspicion of abuse of a minor or vulnerable person
• Where disclosure is required by a court order or applicable law

If you are under 18, please know that these protections apply to you equally. We take your safety and dignity seriously.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may share limited information only in these circumstances:

• With your matched mentor — only your first name, general interests, and availability
• With ecosystem programs — with your explicit consent, we may refer you to VoiceToValue, FeedingTogether, CommunityRise, or ElderLight where relevant to your needs
• With PathSpark employer partners — only when you have completed programs and explicitly opted into PathSpark placement, and only the information needed for the match
• With grant funders — anonymized, aggregate program outcomes only, as required by funding agreements
• With service providers — Formspree for contact form submissions, in accordance with their privacy policy
• As required by law — where legally required to disclose

6. PathSpark Waitlist Data

If you register for the PathSpark waitlist, your name, email, and expressed interest area are stored to notify you when PathSpark launches. This data is not shared with employers until PathSpark is live and you have explicitly opted into employer matching. You may remove yourself from the waitlist at any time by contacting us.

7. Contact Form & Third-Party Services

Our website contact form is powered by Formspree (formspree.io). When you submit a message, your submission is processed by Formspree and delivered to us by email. Formspree may store submission data in accordance with their privacy policy at formspree.io/legal/privacy-policy.

Our website is hosted on IONOS, which may collect standard web server logs as part of normal hosting operations.

8. Youth and Minor Participants

YouthForward serves participants as young as 16 years of age. For participants under 18, we encourage a parent or guardian to be aware of their involvement in our programs. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16 without parental consent.

If you are a parent or guardian with questions about your child's participation or personal information, please contact us directly.

9. Cookies & Analytics

Our website may use basic cookies to ensure proper functionality. We do not currently use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking. If we introduce analytics in the future, this policy will be updated and data will be used only to improve our programs and participant experience.

10. Data Retention

Program participation records are retained for a minimum of three years to support grant reporting and certificate verification. Contact form submissions are retained for a reasonable follow-up period. You may request deletion of your personal information at any time, subject to our legal obligations under active funding agreements.

11. Your Rights

Under PIPEDA and applicable Ontario law, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we hold about you
• Request access to your personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Withdraw consent for our use of your information at any time
• Remove yourself from the PathSpark waitlist at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information below.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time — particularly as PathSpark launches and our employer matching programs become active. When we make changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. Continued use of our website or services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us: