1. Who we are

This website is for the Nature+ Youth Conference (“Nature+”), a programme of Abundant Futures NPC (“we”, “us”, “our”).

Full company name: Abundant Futures NPC
Company registration number: 2022 / 375927 / 08
Physical address: OLD OAKS FARM, HOUT MAIN ROAD, HOUT BAY, CAPE TOWN, 7806, South Africa
Email: [email protected]
Information Officer: Albertus Louw

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and protect personal information when you use this website or interact with us about the Nature+ Youth Conference.

2. What law applies

We process personal information in line with South African law, including:

The Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 (ECT Act) The Consumer Protection Act, 2008 (CPA) where applicable

3. What personal information we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal information:

Contact details: names, email addresses, phone numbers
School details: school name, location, type of school, your role (learner, teacher, school leader or other)
Participation details: information about your interest in or participation in the Nature+ Youth Conference, including session choices and practical needs (for example, dietary or accessibility requirements)
Communication records: emails and other correspondence between you and us Website usage data: IP address, basic browser and device information, pages visited and time spent on the site (through standard server logs and any analytics tools we may use)

We do not intentionally collect special personal information (such as religious beliefs or detailed health information) unless it is clearly necessary for the event (for example, important medical or dietary information you choose to share for safety reasons).
Where we do process this kind of information, we take extra care as required under POPIA.

4. How we collect personal information

We collect personal information in these main ways:

When you submit a form on this website (for example, a “Register your school” or contact form)
When you email or phone us
When you sign up to receive updates from us
Automatically, when you browse the site, via cookies and similar technologies

Sometimes we may receive information about you from your school, partner organisations or funders involved in Nature+. We ask them to only share information with us where they are allowed to do so.

5. Why we use your personal information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

To process registrations and expressions of interest for the Nature+ Youth Conference
To communicate with schools, learners, teachers, school leaders and partners about the event
To plan and manage the programme, including logistics, safety and accessibility
To maintain records of participation, including any incidents or safeguarding concerns
To send event-related updates and follow-up information, such as resources, feedback forms, stories and future opportunities
To improve our website and programmes using basic analytics and feedback
To comply with legal, reporting and accountability requirements as a South African non-profit company

We do not use your personal information for unrelated purposes without your knowledge and, where required, your consent.

6. Legal basis for processing

Under POPIA, we only process personal information when we have a lawful reason to do so. These reasons include:

Consent – when you voluntarily provide your information and agree to specific uses (for example, ticking a box on a form to receive updates)
Performance of an agreement – to manage your registration and participation in the Nature+ Youth Conference Legal obligations – to comply with South African laws and regulations Legitimate interests – for reasonable uses such as improving our events, managing risk and keeping records, provided these interests do not override your rights

7. Sharing your personal information

We only share personal information where it is necessary, lawful and appropriate. This may include sharing with:

Core partners involved in the Nature+ Youth Conference (for example, host schools and organisations helping to design and deliver the programme)
Service providers such as website hosting, email, form and event-management tools, under agreements that require them to protect your information and only use it as instructed by us
Funders and reporting bodies, in aggregated or anonymised form where possible, and with safeguards where individual information is required
Authorities or regulators, where we are required to do so by law or where it is necessary to protect someone’s vital interests

We do not sell your personal information.

Some of our service providers may be based outside South Africa. Where we transfer personal information across borders, we take reasonable steps to ensure that it is protected in line with POPIA, such as using reputable cloud services and appropriate contractual safeguards.

8. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy, and as required by law. This typically includes:

Registration and participation records: kept for a limited period (for example, up to 5 years) to meet reporting, accountability and impact-tracking needs
Mailing lists and updates: kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your information
Financial and statutory records: kept for as long as required under South African law

When personal information is no longer needed, we delete it or anonymise it in a secure manner.

9. Cookies and website tracking

This website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

Help the site work properly (for example, remembering basic preferences)
Collect basic usage data so we can understand how visitors use the site and improve it over time

You can usually control cookies through your browser settings. If we use non-essential or analytics cookies that require consent, we will let you know and, where appropriate, provide a way to manage your preferences.

10. Your rights

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

Ask us whether we hold personal information about you
Request access to your personal information
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Ask us to delete information that is no longer needed, or object to its processing in certain cases
Object to the use of your information for direct marketing
Withdraw your consent where processing is based on consent (this will not affect processing that has already taken place)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:

Email: [email protected]
Information Officer: Albertus Louw

We may need to confirm your identity before we can act on your request.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa):

Website: https://inforegulator.org.za General enquiries: [email protected] POPIA complaints: [email protected]

11. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse, or alteration. However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of data transmitted over the internet.

12. Third-party websites

This website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. When you follow a link, you should read the privacy notice of that site.

13. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the law or the Nature+ Conference. The latest version will always be available on this website, with the effective date shown at the top.

If changes are significant, we may also inform you through the site or by email where appropriate.