Voice Up Data Use & Transparency
At Voice Up, our mission is simple: we connect people to purpose.
To do this well—and to honor the trust you place in us—we believe in complete openness about how your information is collected, used, and protected.
This page explains our approach in clear language so you always know exactly how your data is handled.
Our commitment to you
Your data belongs to you.
Your reflections and profile answers are your education record. They guide your development in your program. They are not research data, and they are never placed in the research library datasets.
Any of your responses or data will be deleted on your written request. To make a request, email us at info@ellingtonbooks.com, or use the short deletion request form:
Voice Up collects information only to help you grow, strengthen our programs, and understand how people across the world are finding their purpose.
Your data helps us:
- Personalize your mentoring and internship experience
- Build tools and resources that better support young adults
- Understand patterns in wellbeing, purpose, and student needs
- Conduct ethical research that advances real-world change
- Improve the Voice Up model so future students benefit
Voice Up is a community of learners and leaders. Your reflections help shape what comes next.
We collect the information you share with us, and the program records your participation creates, such as:
Personal & Contact Information
- Name and email
- Academic major and school (if provided)
- Country or state (if included in your application)
Purpose & Wellbeing Reflections
- Responses to Voice Up assessments
- Two-word identity statements
- Qualitative reflections and goal statements
- Mentor session notes (only with your permission)
Program Engagement Data
- Which tools you used
- Your participation in mentoring or internships
- Optional surveys or feedback forms
Program Records & Activity
- Your weekly hours logs and checkpoint submissions
- Your step completions, agreements, and acknowledgments
- The research files you download (each download is logged to your researcher record)
- Your time and activity on this site, tracked automatically to document your participation
We do not collect biometric data, geolocation tracking, financial information, or any sensitive medical information.
Unless you tell us otherwise, your data is used in three ethical ways:
A. Program Support (Required Use)
To help us deliver your customized experience—mentoring, purpose guides, training, and resources.
B. De-Identified Research & Improvement (Optional)
To help Voice Up understand student experiences, strengthen our model, and measure outcomes. All personal identifiers are removed before research use.
C. Sharing Insights That Help Others (Optional)
Sometimes your quotes or reflections can inspire or teach others. When we use quotes, they are always anonymized, unless you explicitly request attribution.
Voice Up never uses your data for:
❌ Advertising
❌ Selling to third parties
❌ Commercial profiling
You are always in control of your data.
Your data belongs to you
Any of your responses or data will be deleted on your written request
Your reflections and profile answers are your education record — never research data, and never placed in the research library datasets
You may request a copy of the information Voice Up has collected
You may decline any research or optional assessments
Your participation with Voice Up is never dependent on providing optional data
To make a request, email us at:
info@ellingtonbooks.comTo request deletion, you can also use the short form:
Request deletion of your dataTo see the data we hold about you, or to ask us to correct it, use the data request form.
We take great care to protect your information.
De-Identification
Before using data for research or reporting:
- Names are removed
- Emails are removed or hashed
- Locations are generalized (e.g., "Midwest U.S." rather than a city)
- Quotes are stripped of identifying details
Security Practices
- Secure, encrypted storage systems
- Limited staff access
- Routine audits
- Ethical data governance policies aligned with NIH and IRB expectations
Voice Up is committed to maintaining the highest standard of integrity, transparency, and respect.
Voice Up's growing dataset—made up of voluntary responses from real students and emerging professionals—helps the world better understand:
- How young people discover purpose
- What emotional and wellbeing needs they express
- What barriers and opportunities they face
- How purpose-centered mentoring shifts confidence and direction
Your contribution strengthens a global body of knowledge that has the potential to shape public health, workforce development, higher education innovation, and leadership training.
7. Optional Research Participation
Research participation at Voice Up is always optional. Our standing commitment is:
Voice Up may use my de-identified information for research, program evaluation, and publications. I may withdraw at any time by writing to info@ellingtonbooks.com.
This ensures transparency and respect for your autonomy.
Voice Up Data Ethics Mini-Course
Ethical Use of Data in Purpose-Driven Work
Course Overview
A comprehensive full-day workshop (6-7 hours) designed for undergraduate and graduate students, interns, emerging scholars, and community members who want to learn the ethical, responsible, and collaborative use of data.
Built around Voice Up's Five Core Principles:
- ✨ Collaboration – All are welcome
- ✨ Humility – We all have much to learn
- ✨ Precision – All the details matter
- ✨ Patience – We all need forgiveness
- ✨ Empathy – We must understand your why
What You'll Learn
- Explain ethical data principles in clear, accessible language
- Recognize the power and responsibility of qualitative data
- Apply Voice Up's Five Principles to real data scenarios
- Understand consent, privacy, de-identification, and IRB expectations
- Distinguish between ethical use, misuse, exploitation, and innovation
- Develop a personal data ethics commitment statement
7 Learning Modules
The Human Side of Data
Understanding Consent & Transparency
Precision & Protection
Ethical Interpretation
Ethical Innovation
Scenarios & Solutions
Building Your Data Ethics Identity
Deliverables Upon Completion
Ready to take the interactive course?
8. Contact and Questions
We welcome questions, feedback, or concerns. You can contact us anytime at:
Voice Up believes that purpose grows in safe, honest, respectful environments.
Your trust matters. This page is one of the ways we maintain it.