2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

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A. Information You Provide Directly to Us

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you interact with Grafemos. This includes:

• Workshop Registration Data: Full name, telephone/WhatsApp number, email address, role/community affiliation (e.g., local teacher in Xenacoj, rural Mayan educator, international participant), and school or organization name.

• Phone & Offline Registrations: Information provided verbally or via text message when registering by telephone or messaging platforms for low-bandwidth accessibility.

• Donation & Financial Information: Billing name, mailing address, email address, and payment card details processed through secure third-party payment gateways.

• Research & Community Feedback: Survey responses, qualitative interview transcripts, lesson activity designs, pictures of the created materials, and community protocols shared during educational workshops (collected with explicit prior consent and under AFEDES research ethics oversight).

• Inquiries & Contact Forms: Name, contact details, and message content submitted through our online contact forms or direct email correspondence.

 

B. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, we automatically log basic technical information to maintain site security, optimize mobile loading, and analyze low-bandwidth performance:

• Log Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, date/time stamps, referring URLs, and pages viewed.

• Device & Network Identifiers: Screen resolution, connection speed indicators, and device type (optimized for mobile device rendering).

• Cookies & Light Analytics: We use minimal cookies and local storage tokens strictly for essential site navigation, session handling, and aggregated web performance analysis. We prioritize data-light scripts to ensure usability over weak 2G/3G connections.

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C. Youth Participation and Context-Responsive Consent

Recognizing that Grafemos educational projects in rural communities involve high school students (3ro Básico) and intergenerational workshops, minors' participation is not contingent solely on online digital verification. Parental and guardian consent for underage participants in Guatemala is coordinated directly through in-person, school-based, and community-grounded mechanisms (in partnership with local educational authorities and community leadership). This ensures genuine Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, respecting family autonomy, community dynamics, and the cultural safety of participating youth.

 

3. USE OF INFORMATION

 

Grafemos uses your personal information only for the legitimate purposes for which it was collected, including:

• Workshop Administration: Processing registrations, confirming attendance via WhatsApp/SMS or email, assigning participant track tiers, and issuing completion certificates;

• Educational Research & Decolonizing Frameworks: Analyzing educational outcomes and refining complexity education toolkits using anonymized or aggregated research data under established ethical guidelines;

• Community Engagement & Facilitation: Coordinating local sessions managed by our Mayan women facilitator team in Santo Domingo Xenacoj;

• Donation Processing: Processing voluntary contributions;

• Communications: Sending administrative updates, program notices, or optional newsletters (which you may opt out of at any time); and

• Security & Compliance: Protecting against fraud, unauthorized solicitations, and verifying legitimate donation channels.

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4. ETHICAL RESEARCH GOVERNANCE & INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE OVERSIGHT (AFEDES PROTOCOLS)

 

Grafemos is deeply committed to decolonized, ethical, and community-led educational research. All research activities, data collection, and knowledge-sharing projects conducted in Guatemala or involving Indigenous heritage are governed by formal community ethics protocols overseen in partnership with AFEDES (Asociación Femenina para el Desarrollo de Sacatepéquez), an Indigenous women's organization in Guatemala dedicated to community development and protection of Indigenous collective rights.

• Ethical Research Oversight by AFEDES: Field research methodologies, interview protocols, consent mechanisms, and educational study designs involving Mayan knowledge systems are subject to ethical review and monitoring co-guided by AFEDES to ensure cultural safety, community respect, and protection against intellectual extraction.

• Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC): Participation in research studies, qualitative recordings, or documentation of classroom activities is strictly voluntary and conducted with clear Free, Prior, and Informed Consent from participants and local community leadership.

• Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Collective Rights: In accordance with the principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty, traditional symbols, Kaqchikel textile motifs, weaving concepts, and community wisdom shared within Grafemos workshops remain the permanent collective intellectual property of the Indigenous knowledge holders and their communities. Research findings are used exclusively to advance educational opportunities for rural teachers and build decolonized instructional design frameworks.

• Community Verification & Co-Ownership: Before publishing or archiving research data, oral histories, or educational case studies involving local teachers or traditional knowledge in Canadian academic repositories, we review materials with local community partners to ensure accurate representation and compliance with cultural protocols.

 

5. SHARING AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS OF DATA

 

Because Grafemos operates across Canada, Guatemala, and the United States, we may transfer your personal information across international borders among our team members, secure servers, and authorized service providers under strict data privacy and research ethics agreements.

We do NOT rent, sell, trade, or share your personal information with third parties for commercial marketing purposes.

We share personal information strictly under the following limited conditions:

1. Service Providers & Contractors: With trusted vendors, cloud hosting providers, communication platforms (e.g., messaging tools), and payment processors operating under strict confidentiality contracts;

2. Local Facilitator Coordination: Local project coordinators and community facilitators in Guatemala receive relevant participant attendance rosters to facilitate workshop logistics;

3. Academic & Research Dissemination: Research findings are published in aggregated or anonymized formats under AFEDES ethics compliance guidelines. Individual contributions, interviews, or co-created educational designs are shared only with explicit attribution consent or community protocol approval;

4. Legal Requirements: When required by law, subpoena, court order, or applicable legal process in Canada, Guatemala, or the United States; and

5. Safety & Fraud Prevention: To protect the rights, property, safety, or integrity of Grafemos, our community members, or the public against fraudulent activities or cybersecurity threats.

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6. DONOR PRIVACY & ANTI-FRAUD DISCLOSURE

 

Grafemos holds donor trust in the highest regard and subscribes to international non-profit donor privacy standards:

• Confidentiality: Donor identity and gift details are handled with strict confidentiality. Donor names will not be published without prior consent.

• No Selling of Lists: Grafemos will never sell, rent, or exchange donor mailing lists or contact details with external organizations.

• Fraud Protection: We collect direct donations exclusively through our official website (www.grafemos.org). Grafemos will never contact individuals by telephone, private social media message, or unsolicited messaging to demand cash or wire transfers.​​​

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7. DATA SECURITY AND RETENTION

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Grafemos implements technical, administrative, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the data collected. These include encryption, secure cloud storage, restricted access protocols, and anti-virus monitoring.

While we make every effort to protect your personal information, no internet transmission or electronic storage system is 100% secure. Transmissions made via mobile cellular networks or standard text messaging carry inherent communication risks.

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, satisfy legal, tax, or accounting requirements, or fulfill scholarly research retention obligations (typically up to 7 years for financial records and project logs).

 

8. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES

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Depending on your location, you have rights regarding your personal information, including:

• Access & Correction: You may request access to the personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct inaccurate records.

• Deletion / Erasure: You may request that we delete your personal contact information from our databases, subject to legal or research retention duties.

• Opt-Out of Communications: You can unsubscribe from non-essential promotional or administrative communications by following the link in our emails or replying to messaging communications.

• Withdrawal of Consent: You may withdraw your consent for research participation or data processing at any time by contacting our Privacy Coordinator or local community representatives.

 

9. THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND SERVICES

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Our Site may contain links to third-party websites or messaging tools. Grafemos is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of external websites. We encourage you to review the privacy statements of any linked platform you visit.

 

10. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

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Grafemos reserves the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Revised" date. Your continued engagement with our Site or programs following modifications signifies your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

 

11. CONTACT US

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If you have questions, concerns, or inquiries regarding this Privacy Policy, ethical research protocols, or how your data is handled across Canada, Guatemala, or the United States, please contact our Data Privacy Coordinator at:

Grafemos Development and Research Organization

Attention: Data Privacy & Research Ethics Coordinator

Toronto, Ontario, M5A 2Z8, Canada

Website: www.grafemos.org, contact us section.