Youth Community GDPR & Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Stop.Breathe.Think are a youth counselling charity that supports young people’s mental health and well-being.

We take your privacy seriously and follow the rules set out by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Why We’re Collecting Your Information

When you apply or agree to join our Youth Community, we collect some personal information so we can:

• Keep in touch with you
• Understand your interests and how you want to be involved
• Help you share your voice in campaigns or activities
• Make sure we’re keeping everyone safe
• Promote your contributions (with your consent)

What Information We Collect

Depending on how you get involved, we may collect:

• Basic info: Name, age, email, phone number and emergency contact
• Content you share: Stories, videos, photos or artwork you’ve created
• Sensitive info (special category data): This could include mental health experiences only if you choose to share them. We only use this with your permission.

How We Use Your Information

We use your data to:

• Communicate with you about projects and events
• Help organise activities you’re involved in
• Celebrate and share your stories (with your consent)
• Monitor and improve our services for young people
• Keep records of your contributions (e.g., blog posts or videos)

We will always ask your permission before sharing anything publicly or on social media.

Legal Basis for Using Your Data

We collect and use your data based on:

• Your consent (we’ll ask you before using content or publishing anything)
• Our legitimate interests as a charity (e.g. coordinating youth projects)
• Legal obligations (e.g. safeguarding requirements)

You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.

Who We Share Your Data With

We only share your information when:

• You give us clear permission
• We’re working with trusted partners (like video editors or youth media teams)
• We’re legally required to (e.g. if there’s a serious safeguarding concern)

Everyone we work with must keep your data safe and confidential.

How We Store and Protect Your Data

Your data is stored securely on password-protected systems. Only trained staff and volunteers can access it.

We keep your personal data:

• For as long as you’re actively involved with us
• For a limited time afterwards (usually up to 2 years), unless you ask us to delete it sooner

We delete or anonymise data that’s no longer needed.

Your Rights

You have rights over your personal information. These include:

• Access – You can ask to see what data we hold about you
• Correction – You can ask us to fix anything that’s wrong
• Deletion – You can ask us to delete your data
• Objection – You can say no to us using your data in a certain way
• Withdraw Consent – You can take back your permission at any time

To use any of these rights, email us at hello@stopbreathethink.org.uk

If You’re Under 16

If you’re under 16, we may ask for your parent or guardian’s permission to collect or share certain information, especially for anything public (like social media or videos). But we will always explain everything clearly to you and get your views first.

Questions or Complaints?

If you’re unsure, worried or want to make a complaint about how your data is used, contact us first. If you’re not happy with how we handle things, you can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.

Changes to This Policy

We might update this policy from time to time. If we make big changes, we’ll let you know.