Privacy, terms & conduct

Our policies.

What we collect, why, who sees it and what you can ask of us. Followed by the terms for using this website and joining a hike, and the conduct we expect of everyone who walks with us.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 10 October 2026

Who we are

SMC Netherlands is the Netherlands chapter of SMC (Serve · Mentor · Connect). It organises free Walk & Talk mentoring hikes and is run by volunteers. SMC Netherlands is not a separate legal entity. The data controller under the GDPR is:

  • Alexander Steunenberg Consulting
  • Schietbaanlaan 5a-02, 3021 LA Rotterdam
  • Chamber of Commerce (KvK) 97080330
  • VAT number NL005247620B17
  • alexander.steunenberg@gmail.com

What we collect

  • Mentee application: name, email, gender, nationality, spoken languages, current study or job, CV, motivation letter or video, partner application code and how you heard about us.
  • Mentor sign-up: name, email, gender, nationality, spoken languages, organisation, title, industry, years of experience, where you are based and how you heard about us.
  • Hike sign-up: your name and whether you will attend.
  • Membership check on this website: the email you enter before signing up for a hike. It is compared with our member lists and not stored.
  • Photos and videos taken at hikes.
  • Phone number, if you join our WhatsApp community.
  • Messages you send us, including the contact form on this website: your name, email, an optional phone number if you would like to be called, and your message. These reach us by email and are not published.

This website does not use analytics or advertising cookies.

Why we use it, and on what basis

  • Reviewing applications and admitting members. Necessary to take the steps you ask for before joining (GDPR article 6(1)(b)).
  • Composing cohorts and matching mentors with mentees. We use nationality, languages and field of interest to give every morning a mix of backgrounds and to pair people well. Legitimate interest in running the programme as designed (article 6(1)(f)). We do not use these details for anything else.
  • Organising hikes and keeping you informed, including meeting points, changes and our WhatsApp community if you join it. Necessary to run the activity you signed up for (article 6(1)(b)).
  • Checking membership before a hike sign-up. Legitimate interest in keeping hikes open to members only (article 6(1)(f)).
  • Sharing group photos and videos of our hikes on our website, newsletter and social media, where no single person is the focus. Legitimate interest in showing what our community does (article 6(1)(f)). You can object at any time, see “Photos at hikes”.
  • Publishing close-up photos of you, and mentioning or tagging you by name. Only with your consent (article 6(1)(a)), given in your community application, which you can withdraw at any time.
  • Answering your messages, by email or by phone if you give us a number. Legitimate interest (article 6(1)(f)).

Who receives your data

We do not sell or rent personal data. Your data is seen by:

  • The SMC Netherlands volunteers who run admissions and hikes.
  • Other members of the same group: mentees see other mentees’ names and phone numbers in the mentee community, and mentors see other mentors’ names and phone numbers in the mentor community.
  • Service providers acting on our instructions: Google (Forms, Sheets, Drive and Apps Script), Cloudflare (website hosting) and WhatsApp (our community chats, if you join).
  • Parties we are legally required to share data with.

We do not share personal data with SMC in Singapore.

Some of these providers may process data in the United States. Where they do, the transfer relies on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or on the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses.

How long we keep it

  • Applications that are not accepted: deleted 6 months after the decision.
  • CVs and motivation letters: deleted 12 months after admission.
  • Member details: kept while you are part of the community, and deleted within 12 months after you leave or ask us to.
  • Hike sign-ups: deleted 12 months after the hike.
  • Contact form messages: deleted 12 months after we have answered them.
  • Published photos and videos: kept until you object or withdraw consent, after which we remove them from our own channels.

Photos at hikes

We take photos and videos during hikes. Group photos, where no single person is the focus, may be shared without asking each person first. Close-ups of you, and mentioning or tagging you by name, only happen if you agreed to this in your community application.

If you prefer not to appear in any photos, reply to your hike confirmation email or tell the organiser at the start of the hike. You can also object or withdraw consent later by emailing us, and we will remove the material from our own channels.

Your rights

You can ask to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of your data, to restrict or object to its use, and to withdraw any consent. Withdrawing consent does not affect use before the withdrawal. Email alexander.steunenberg@gmail.com; we reply within one month. You can also complain to the Dutch Data Protection Authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.

Changes

We may update this policy. The current version is always on this page, with the date above.

Code of Conduct

This applies to everyone at an SMC Netherlands activity: mentees, mentors, speakers, volunteers and guests, on the walk, in our WhatsApp communities and in any conversation that starts through us.

What we expect

  • Treat everyone with respect, whatever their age, nationality, background, beliefs, gender, sexuality or seniority.
  • Listen more than you speak. The format only works if the quieter person in the pair gets the airtime.
  • Keep what people share in confidence. Mentees talk about doubts and setbacks, and mentors about things they would not say on a stage.
  • Follow the organisers’ instructions on the route, and look out for the people around you.
  • Tell us if you cannot make a morning you signed up for. Places are limited and someone else can take yours.

What is not acceptable

  • Harassment, bullying or intimidation in any form.
  • Discriminatory or demeaning remarks, including ones meant as jokes.
  • Unwanted sexual attention, comments about someone’s appearance, or persistent contact after someone has asked you to stop.
  • Using the morning to sell, to recruit or to push an investment. Mentors are here to give time, not to source candidates or deals.
  • Repeating what someone shared in confidence, or posting it online.
  • Photographing or filming someone who has said they would rather not appear.

Mentoring is not advice

Mentors speak from their own experience, in a personal capacity, not for their employer. What they say is not professional, legal, financial or medical advice, and decisions you take afterwards are your own.

Raising something

If something happens, or you are unsure whether it crossed a line, email alexander.steunenberg@gmail.com or speak to an organiser on the day. You can also ask someone else to raise it for you.

We reply within a week, usually sooner. We will listen first, keep it to the people who need to know, and agree with you what happens next before acting, unless someone is at risk. Raising a concern in good faith never counts against you.

What we do about it

Depending on what happened, that can mean a conversation, a change to the pairings, asking someone to leave the morning, or removing someone from the community. Serious matters go to the police rather than to us.

Terms of Use

These terms apply to this website and to taking part in SMC Netherlands activities.

About SMC Netherlands

SMC Netherlands is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit initiative. It is not a separate legal entity; it is operated by the controller named in the Privacy Policy.

Taking part

  • Participation is open to people aged 18 and over. It is free, admission is curated, and we may decline an application or sign-up.
  • We may change or cancel a hike, for example because of weather.
  • Routes are about 5 km on flat, paved paths. You are responsible for your own fitness, clothing and belongings, and for following the organisers’ instructions on the day.

Mentoring conduct

In short, and set out in full in the Code of Conduct above:

  • Treat everyone with respect.
  • Keep what others share in conversation confidential, unless they agree otherwise.
  • Do not use the hikes to sell, recruit or solicit without the other person’s interest.

We may ask anyone who does not follow these rules to leave the programme.

Liability

Hikes are outdoor activities and you take part at your own risk. To the extent permitted by law, SMC Netherlands, its organisers and volunteers are not liable for injury, loss or damage arising from taking part or from using this website, except in the case of intent or gross negligence.

Photos

Photos and videos are taken at hikes and may be shared as described in the Privacy Policy. Close-ups and name tagging only with consent. Anyone can ask not to appear.

Website content and links

Content on this website belongs to SMC Netherlands, SMC or its partners unless stated otherwise, and may not be reused without permission. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of websites we link to.

Governing law

These terms are governed by Dutch law. Disputes go to the competent court in the Netherlands.