Privacy notice

Who is responsible

Raven Design runs The Academy and is responsible for your information (the "controller"). Contact us about anything on this page at hello@theacademy.ie.

When you apply

The application form asks for:

• the name you'd like us to use, and your email address
• the project you're interested in and what you'd like to get out of it
• roughly when you're free
• confirmation that you're 18 or over and understand this is volunteering
• optionally, something you've made or learned, and any course or support we should know about

We use this to consider your application, arrange a short intro call and match you with a project. That's the only thing we use it for. The legal basis is that you asked us to consider you (steps before entering into an arrangement with you) and our legitimate interest in running the programme.

To stop spam, the form also records a scrambled (one-way hashed) version of your internet address for up to a day, to limit how many times it can be submitted. We can't turn it back into your address.

The application pages don't use Google Analytics or any advertising trackers.

If you volunteer

While you volunteer, we keep a simple record: your project, the dates, notes on what you worked on and any feedback. If you ask for a reference, we write it from that record.

References are private by default: only you get a copy. A named public version is only ever published if you agree to the exact wording, and any change to the wording takes it down until you agree again. You can withdraw that agreement at any time and we'll take down the public version we control.

Emails we send

We send only the messages needed to handle your application: an acknowledgement, and later a welcome or a "not this time" message. They come from hello@theacademy.ie and go through our own mail server. No marketing emails.

How long we keep it

• Applications that don't go ahead (withdrawn or not matched): deleted automatically 90 days after the decision.
• The text of emails we send you: removed from our system after 30 days.
• Volunteer records and references: for as long as you volunteer and for 2 years afterwards, so we can confirm a reference if an employer or college asks. You can ask us to delete them sooner.
• Emails you send us: for as long as we need them to reply and follow up, and no longer than 24 months.

Using this website

• Matomo. We count visits with Matomo, which we host ourselves. It records things like pages viewed, approximate location and device type, with internet addresses anonymised.
• Google Analytics. The home page also uses Google Analytics 4 to measure visits. The application form and other pages don't.
• The old application form. An earlier version of this site had an application form run by Tally. It has been closed. If you sent it and want to know what we hold, or want it deleted, email hello@theacademy.ie.

Who sees it

Your mentor and the small team running The Academy. The site and email are hosted by webworld.ie in Ireland. We don't sell or share your information with anyone else, unless the law requires it.

Your rights

You can ask to see what we hold about you, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to how we use it, or get a copy to take elsewhere. Email hello@theacademy.ie and we'll reply within a month.

If you're not happy with how we handle your information, you can complain to the Data Protection Commission.

Changes

If we change how we use your information, we'll update this page and its version number. Applications are always handled under the version shown on the form when you apply.