Privacy Policy

Contemplative Outreach (CO/we/our) is a network of communities and individuals seeking to make a contribution to the renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition through the practice of Centering Prayer. We teach Centering Prayer and associated practices to the general public (you/your) in workshops and retreats (events) and by organising prayer groups. To do so we collect and use information you give us about yourself which qualifies as "personal data" under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

We are committed to safeguarding your privacy in handling your personal data. Please read the following policy statement to understand how your personal data will be treated, why we need it, and how we aim to meet our obligation to allow you to exercise your legal rights over this data.

The information we collect from you

We will only collect personal data from you when you specifically and knowingly provide it to us during interactions with us by phone, mail, in person or online. Personal details collected in this way will only be used to provide us with information we would reasonably expect or that you have agreed to.

The personal data we collect from you and the way it is used is as follows:

  • To enable us to notify you by email of upcoming events at both local and national level we need your name and email address. Such communications are usually in the form of an e-newsletter or bulk email which you will not receive unless you have requested it. You may opt out of this service at any time.
  • To enable us to act as contact persons in the formation of Centering Prayer groups we need to know where you are. We keep your postcode for this purpose but only if you have opted in to the service. When making contacts between individuals and groups we always ask your permission before passing on your name and email address.
  • In the administration of prayer groups it can sometimes be necessary to contact members rapidly. For this reason the group Facilitator(s) may hold your telephone number(s) in addition to your name, email address and postcode. If you do not have an email address we may keep your full postal address instead.
  • For the administration of retreats we will collect and hold your name, full postal address, email and telephone number(s) as well as the details of one person to be contacted in case of emergency. In addition we will collect and hold such personal information as we would reasonably expect to enable us to manage a residential course. At the end of a retreat we may circulate contact details to all participants but will not do so without your consent. Note that we often provide retreat leaders for other organisations. In these cases the organiser, not CO, is the data controller for the event.

    • Disclosure

    We do not share your data with anyone outside CO except suppliers and professional agents working on our behalf. We will only disclose your personal data if we are legally obliged to do so.

    We always ask your permission before passing your name and email address to another member of CO when connecting people who are seeking to form a Centering Prayer group.

    When a volunteer whose duties require access to personal data records leaves that post their access rights will be withdrawn and passed to their successor.

    Where the information is held

    Your personal data is stored in databases only accessible by a limited number of volunteers who are instructed in data protection best practice procedures through an Annex to the Facilitator Handbook. We may transport your data on a mobile device where necessary.

    We use a third party provider for our e-newsletter and bulk emails. This is The Rocket Science Group LLC trading as MailChimp in the USA which operates within the EU-US Privacy Shield. You can view their privacy policy here. By submitting your personal data, you agree to its transfer for storage and processing. Emails transmitted by MailChimp may contain tracking technologies as described in their Cookie Statement. By opting in to receive these emails you consent to this activity. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.

    Although we use appropriate security measures the internet is never completely secure. We do our best but cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted from our website. Such transmission is therefore at the user’s own risk.

    Data Retention

    CO only keeps your data for as long as is reasonable and necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.

    Your rights and how to exercise them

    With respect to our collection and use of your personal data you have the following rights:

  • Right of access – you have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you.
  • Right of rectification – you have a right to correct data that we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete.
  • Right to be forgotten – you can ask for the data we hold about you to be erased from our records.
  • Right to restriction of processing – where certain conditions apply you have a right to restrict data processing.
  • Right of portability – you have the right to have the data we hold about you transferred to another organisation.

    • You will be able to unsubscribe automatically from our mailing list. To request other rights send an email to data protection. In some circumstances we will require a proof of identity from you.

    Complaints

    If you are not happy about the way in which CO is holding and processing your personal data you have the right to complain to us. Send an email describing your complaint to data protection. If you do not get a satisfactory response within 30 days you may then complain to the Information Commissioners Office at:
    Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF Telephone +44 (0) 303 123 1113 or email: ICO.

    Updates

    To keep up with technical and legal developments we review this policy regularly. Be sure to check it from time to time for updates.

    Version: 1.1
    Date: 17th May, 2018