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## That’s why we’ve created Next Voice.

Next Voice is an online platform for teens in the US, where you can see what others across the nation are saying about the issues that matter to you and so you can take action.
 
Whether you want to learn to write and speak powerfully about causes you care about, find allies and organizations with decision-making power, or start a community, we’re here for you.
 
You can trust us to help you:
 
-  Find and understand unbiased, credible information.
-  Learn what other people your age are saying about issues you care about - like climate change, life after high school, mental health, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, and gender equality.
-  Develop the skills you’ll need to make an impact.
-  Find resources you can use to put your voice into action.
 
You have the power to make a difference and to create change.

## Your voice matters.

 
**About American Student Assistance**
 
 American Student Assistance (ASA) is a national non-profit organization that’s passionate about giving you, and all teens, helpful tools to learn about possible education paths and careers you’ll love. We know that planning for your future is a lot to take on. But we’ll give you all the information to allow you to explore all the options and make the best choice for you, no matter your goals, interests and needs.
 
We’ve got you.

About

Get the tools and resources you need to make a difference in topics you care about.

Develop the skills you need to make change and learn how to participate in your community.

See trending issues across the U.S. and learn what people are saying about Mental Health, Life After School, and more.

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See what's going on in the world today and learn how to make a difference in the issues that matter most to you.

Last Modified: March 11, 2024

## Introduction

Massachusetts Higher Education Assistance Corporation, d/b/a American Student Assistance® (“**ASA**” or “**we**” or “**us**”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through our compliance with this privacy policy (“**Policy**”).

This Policy describes the types of information we may directly or indirectly collect from you or receive from you when you use our services, including [Next Voice](https://nextvoice.asa.org/), [Futurescape](https://futurescape.asa.org/), and [EvolveMe](https://evolveme.asa.org/) (the “**Services**”), including any page, functionality or feature, and all content, information, links and other materials (“**Materials**”) made available on or through the Services. For certain Services, you may be able to accumulate points (“**Points**”) by engaging with Materials and third-party services made available on or through our Services (including on websites of our third-party partners) (such Materials and third-party services, “**Experiences**”). For clarity, this Policy does not apply to information collected by any third-party website(s) or service(s) that you may access or otherwise intentionally interact with on or off of our Services. The handling of the collection, use, and disclosure of information about you in such circumstances can be found in the privacy policies governing those third-party websites or services.

We may aggregate or de-identify information described in this Policy. Aggregate or de-identified information that we do not attempt to re-identify is not subject to this Policy.

As described in greater detail below, this policy applies to information we collect:
- In the course of providing the Services; and
- In any email(s), text(s), and other electronic messages that we send or receive from you in relation to the Services.

Please read this Policy carefully to understand our practices in relation to your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with this Policy, you may choose not to use the Services. By accessing or using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy.

This Policy may change from time to time (see “Changes to Our Privacy Policy” at the end of this Policy). Your continued use of the Services after we make changes represents your acceptance of those changes.

 

## Children Under the Age of 13

We designed the Services to avoid collecting personal information from children under 13 years of age, and therefore do not knowingly collect personal information from children who identify as being under 13 years of age. If you are under 13 years of age, do not register on the Services, do not use any of the interactive features of the Services, and do not provide any personal information about yourself including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or user name you may use. If we learn that we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 years of age without parental consent, we will delete that information in accordance with applicable law. If you believe that we might have collected personal information from or about a child under 13 years of age, please contact us as soon as possible at [support@accounts.asa.org](mailto:support@accounts.asa.org).

## Information We Collect About You and How We Collect It

We may collect several types of information from or about you when you use the Services, including:
- Information by which you may be personally identified, such as your name, date of birth, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, or any other identifier by which you may be identified or contacted online or offline;
- Information you voluntarily provide, such as gender or ethnicity;
- Information about your activity when using our Services, such as pages visited, links clicked on, Experiences completed, Points accumulated, rewards redeemed, duration of your usage of the Services, and other usage details; and
- Information about your internet connection and the device(s) you use to access the Services.

We collect this information in two ways:
- Directly from you when you provide it to us; and
- Automatically as you use the Services. Information collected automatically may include usage details and IP addresses, as well as information collected through application program interfaces (“APIs”), cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies, as further detailed below.

### Information You Provide to Us

The information we collect from you on or through the Services may include:
- Information that you provide when using the Services, including information that you provide at the time you register to use an ASA-operated website. We may also ask you for information when you report a problem with the Services;
- Information you provide to us to participate in contests, sweepstakes, and other promotions on or through the Services, such as your name, age, contact details, and parent/guardian contact details; 
- Records and copies of communications between you and ASA (including email addresses) if you contact us; and
- Your responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete for research purposes.

### _Information We Collect Through Automatic Data Collection Technologies_

As you navigate through and interact with the Services, we, and our partners and vendors, may use automatic data collection technologies to collect and analyze certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, Experiences completed, Points accumulated , rewards redeemed, and usage patterns, including:
- Details of your visits to a website when using the Services, including traffic data, URL source, generalized location data based on IP address, logs, and other communication data, and the resources that you access and use on the Services; and
- Information about your device(s) and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type.

The information we collect automatically helps us to deliver and provide better and more personalized Services, including by enabling us to:
- Track the completion of Experiences, Points accumulated, and rewards redeemed (as applicable);
- Estimate our audience size and usage patterns;
- Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize the Services according to your individual interests;
- Speed up your searches; and
- Recognize you when you return to the Services.

The technologies we and our partners and vendors use to carry out such automatic data collection may include:
- _Application Program Interfaces (“APIs”)_. To track your completion of Experiences on third-party sites, we assign a user ID to you and related information, which is communicated back to us through an API so that we can record completion of such Experiences, allocate Points, and enable you to redeem rewards when eligible. We also use APIs in coordination with our third-party service providers to enable you to participate in contests, sweepstakes, and other promotions on or through the Services. 
- _Cookies (or browser cookies)_. A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer that allows us to understand how users interact with the Services. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting, you may not be able to access certain parts of the Services. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to the Services
- _Tracking Pixels_. The Services may contain embedded HTML code snippets that enable ASA to measure the performance of advertising and marketing campaigns carried out on third-party websites and services; and
- _Web Beacons_. The Services may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit ASA, for example, to count users who have visited those pages and analyze other related statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain content and verifying system and server integrity).

We retain personal information pursuant to our records retention program for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy, unless a longer period is required or permitted under applicable law or is needed to resolve disputes or protect our legal rights. For example, we may retain certain personal information for an additional period of time to prevent, protect against, detect, and respond to incidents of fraud on the Services. 

## How We Use Your Information

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information, for the following purposes:
- To present and provide you with access to the Services, including to verify your account
or provide interactive features, where applicable;
- To recognize you across our Services, including when you use multiple devices or accounts; 
- To track the completion of Experiences and Points accumulated on the Services;
- To enable the redemption of rewards (as applicable);
- To enable you to participate in contests, sweepstakes, and other promotions on or through the Services, including by verifying your age to ensure you are eligible to enter for a drawing under the applicable Terms of Use, and to contact you and/or your parent or guardian in the event that your entry is selected;
- To evaluate the use, results, and effectiveness of our Services;
- To provide you with information or other services that you request from us;
- To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it;
- To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising out of this Policy, the Terms of Use, which are accessible here ([Terms & Conditions](/terms)), and any other legal terms applicable to use of the Services;
- To notify you about changes to the Services;
- To protect the rights, property, or safety of ASA, our customers, or others;
- To prevent, protect against, detect, and respond to incidents of fraud on the Services; 
- To measure the performance of our advertising and marketing campaigns, including through third-party websites and services;
- In any other way we may describe when you provide the information; and
- For any other purpose with your consent.

## Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose information without restriction that does not identify an individual, including information in aggregated or de-identified form. This may include aggregated information gathered via cookies, web beacons, and tracking pixels.

We may disclose personal information that we collect for the following purposes:
- To vendors, contractors, and other third parties that support us in providing the Services and who are bound by contract to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the business purposes for which we disclose it to them;
- To third parties that provide a feature, functionality or service that you have otherwise requested;
- To fulfill the purpose(s) for which you provided it;
- For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information;
- To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request;
- To enforce or apply this Policy, the Terms of Use, or any other terms that apply to the use of the Services;
- If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of ASA, our customers, or others;
- As part of a change in business structure or ownership of ASA, we may disclose personal information to the buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of ASA’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by ASA about users of the Services is among the assets transferred; and
- For any other purpose with your consent.

We do not sell your personal information, nor does ASA display any targeted advertising on ASA-operated websites.

ASA does share data with advertising service providers to measure the performance of our advertising and marketing campaigns on other websites, apps, or services, including on Facebook, Snapchat, various Google services, and other social networks.

Per the above, please note that we use our best efforts and take multiple steps to avoid the collection of information for targeted advertising purposes from children under 13 years of age, including by prohibiting children under 13 years of age from creating a user profile on the Services. In addition, we prohibit access to certain areas of the Services by children under 13 years of age in this Policy.

## Personal Information Rights

Applicable law may recognize certain rights in relation to personal information, including the right to access, correct, or delete personal information, restrict the processing of personal information (including sensitive personal information, as applicable), and data portability, among others.

You can review and update your personal information by logging into the Services and visiting your account profile page. You may also send us an email at [support@accounts.asa.org](mailto:support@accounts.asa.org) to exercise rights applicable to your personal information, or to have an authorized agent do so on your behalf. We will respond to such requests in accordance with applicable law, and we may request further information from you to verify your identity and/or verify the identity of your authorized agent (as well as confirm their authority to act on your behalf). We may not accommodate a request if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement, cause the information to be incorrect, or otherwise is subject to an applicable exception under law. We will inform you in accordance with applicable law if we do not accommodate your request. You may have the right to appeal our determination under local law, which can also be exercised by contacting us at [support@accounts.asa.org](mailto:support@accounts.asa.org). We will not discriminate against you when you exercise personal information rights.

## Data Transfers

As set out in our [Terms of Use](/terms), our Services are strictly for use by and solely directed to persons located in the United States. If you are not in the United States, YOU MAY NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES. If you access or use the Services from outside the United States, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with local laws.

## Data Security

We have implemented industry-standard security technologies, procedures, and organizational measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and or unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure.

The safety and security of your information also depends on you. If you choose or are provided with a username, a password, or any other information as part of our security procedures, you must keep that information confidential and not disclose it to any other person or entity. You may not provide any other person with access to the Services or portions of it using your user name, password, or other security information. You are responsible for all activity occurring under your account or with use of your username and password.

You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your username or password, or any other breach of security of which you become aware. You may report unauthorized access by sending an email to [support@accounts.asa.org](mailto:support@accounts.asa.org).

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to the Services. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Services.

## Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We may revise and/or update this Policy from time to time in our sole discretion. The date this Policy was last revised is identified at the top of the page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify users with an account by email to the email address specified in your account. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date active and deliverable email address where we can reach you if you have an account, and for periodically visiting the Services and this Policy to check for any changes, regardless of whether you have an account or not.

## Contact Information

To ask questions or comment about this Policy and our privacy practices, or to register a complaint or concern, contact us at [support@accounts.asa.org](mailto:support@accounts.asa.org).

Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions

You are under
13 years old

Deciding your next steps after leaving high school can be daunting. There are so many options: from going to college or university, to taking a gap year first, to diving straight into a career with maybe an internship or apprenticeship. Exploring what’s out there and having a plan will help you make an informed decision to find something you love.

Life After High School

You don’t have to go to university or college to continue your education. Internships, paid or unpaid, and apprenticeships are both great ways to get expert on-the-job training and to explore a possible career.

Early Career Steps

Vocational education, also known as trade school, is a great way to learn a specific trade or craft, like cooking, construction, plumbing or fashion design, before building a career. You can also explore interests, develop skills, and acquire experiences outside the traditional classroom through volunteer opportunities, on-the-job experiences (including internships), travel, or playing sports. 

After Graduation

Going to college is expensive. However, there are many ways to fund your education, like scholarships, grants, work-study programs, financial aid, and loans. The first step is to fill out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. 

Paying for College

With the cost of college on the rise, many students have to take out loans to pay for school. Student debt is the money they owe to the government or financial institutions to repay for these loans.

Student Debt

Earth’s climate is changing. We’re witnessing a rise in temperatures and changes in weather patterns. Climate changes have naturally occurred over the billions of years the planet has been around. But since the 1800s, humans have been the main cause of this change.

Climate Change

We need energy for our everyday lives and for society to function. A common source of energy are fossil fuels, like oil, coal and gas which produce greenhouse gasses, namely CO2, that contribute to global warming. But, there are renewable energy sources, e.g. solar and wind, that don't release as much harmful gas.

Energy Production

Because we keep using fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gasses that hold sunlight and heat, the earth’s temperature is rising. This means we may experience more extreme weather conditions, like heat waves and heavy storms. The temperature rise also contributes to the ice caps melting and a rise in sea levels.

Environmental Effects

Pollution is when harmful materials enter into the environment. Some pollutants are natural but others are human-made, like trash, vehicle exhaust, or even loud noise or excessive light. Pollution can have a long-lasting, devastating effect on the environment through soil, water contamination and the loss of wildlife.

Pollution

Recycling is turning trash, usually plastic, paper, and metal, into new materials. It not only helps to reduce the amount of waste, it helps reduce the amount of energy needed to create these materials from scratch. Most eco-friendly products are made from recycled materials, or made from materials that can be recycled and reused.

Eco-Friendly Actions

Mental health refers to one’s psychological and emotional well-being, which impacts how one feels, behaves, thinks, and interacts with others. Factors that affect mental health include a person’s biology (e.g., genetic composition and family history), lifestyle choices (e.g., substance use, diet, exercise), and life experiences (e.g., abuse, trauma).

Mental Health

Working to keep an optimistic perspective can help keep negative thoughts away, reduce stress, and improve a person's overall mood. Positive thinking means approaching life's challenges with a realistically positive outlook. By having this positive mental attitude and by practicing gratitude, a person can feel happier and more content with their work, relationships, and life overall.

Positive Thinking

Physical activity and maintaining a healthy body are important for positive mental health. Eating well, exercising, and staying well-rested can have positive effects on a person’s mental state and overall mood.

Physical Well-being

Just talking to someone can help with mental health problems. There are also many organizations and services that offer support for those impacted, like medical providers, support groups, therapists, and emergency hotlines. Socializing with others may help improve a person’s mental health and mood as well. 

Social Well-Being

When people experience abuse or traumatic events, it’s common to have a temporary or long-lasting psychological response like depression, fatigue or trouble sleeping, and anxiety. They may also get angry or sad. People can seek professional assistance and there are mental techniques that can help them cope.

Trauma’s Psychological Effect

There are many recognized mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression. These can be the result of a person’s biology and genetics, or be the result of stress, abuse, trauma and more. Unfortunately, there’s often a social stigma associated with mental health conditions, but these illnesses are real and it’s important to talk openly about our feelings and emotions.

Mental Disorders

Gender equality is when people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities. Gender inequality impacts people of all ages, backgrounds, and genders. To achieve true equality, harmful practices and policies against a particular gender, or genders, must be eradicated.


Gender Equality

Women have fought for equal rights for centuries. Specifically for the rights to education, to own property, to vote, reproductive freedom, and equal pay. Such inequality sparked the feminist movement and other social movements.

Women’s Rights

Reproductive rights are about the legal right to contraception, abortion, and other reproductive health and family planning aspects. This came to the fore recently when the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, that had protected a person’s right to abortion. There are many organizations and advocates fighting for reproductive freedoms across genders to allow people to make their own decisions about their bodies.

Reproductive Rights

Non-discrimination laws exist to protect women and all genders. Despite this, workplace discrimination across genders, like sexual harassment, pay discrepancies and unequal access to promotions and jobs, still takes place. Gender equality advocates fight to eradicate gender stereotypes and to have fair opportunities for all people, regardless of gender.

Gender in the Workplace

Racial justice refers to the systematic fair treatment of all races, resulting in equitable opportunities for all people. Discrimination, prejudice, and racism are examples of actions within society that have a negative effect on a racial group or racial groups.

Racial Justice

Coming together to campaign for racial equality under a unified mission achieves more than independent efforts. That’s why many movements have been founded to lead the fight ahead with a clear plan. Groups like the NAACP, Black Lives Matter, and Color of Change are examples of civil rights and advocacy organizations tackling systemic oppression.

Social Movements

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) people are still underrepresented in politics and in elected roles. This means that when laws and policies are passed, these voices and perspectives are missing from key decisions. This can cause harm and long-term disadvantage to certain groups and communities.

Racism in Politics

​​Systemic racism is a form of racism that is embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization, and it impacts access to housing, food, and jobs, and leads to unequal arrests and prison sentencing. Despite there being non-discrimination laws, racism still exists in education as well. Examples include biased acceptance rates to schools, unequal grading and unequal access to extracurricular opportunities and resources. These inequalities can be due to systemic issues that are embedded in the education system, such as how schools are primarily funded by local property taxes (so that the richer the community, the better resourced the schools) and the lack of diversity in school staff.

Racism in Education

Racial equality is achieved when people of all races have the same access to opportunities. Racial equity, however, takes each racial group’s unique challenges, circumstances, and lack of privilege into consideration so each group can access opportunities fairly. Racial justice is the abolition of the systemic obstacles that prevent equality and equity today. To achieve justice, white supremacy and white privilege need to be eradicated.

Racial Inequality

LGBTQIA+ rights refer to legal and civil rights that impact lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual people, and those of other sexual and gender identities. One of the primary concerns is the right to be treated without discrimination.

LGBTQIA+ Rights

Pride is the celebration of the LGBTQIA+ communities, as people come together to not only combat the discrimination that the communities face, but also to affirm one another’s identities. Pride is celebrated in June each year in the US. It provides increased visibility of LGBTQIA+ people and a platform for advocates and allies to fight for equality.

The Pride Movement

Reflecting on one’s own gender and sexual identity, away from society and cultural traditions, helps them to know and accept themselves exactly as they are. Advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights work to create environments and communities for everyone to openly identify and be who they are and feel safe.

Gender and Sexual Identity

One of the rights that LGBTQIA+ advocates fight for is marriage equality. This is the right for all peoples to marry, regardless of sex or gender. This remains an issue because the social acceptance of same-sex relationships is still sharply divided by state and region across the US. Similarly, while adoption by same-sex couples is currently legal nationwide, social acceptance varies by state and region.

Relationships & Marriage

Social acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in the US varies by state and region. LGBTQIA+ people are underrepresented in politics and elected roles, and politicians’ stances on LGBTQIA+ rights are often discussed during campaigns. While there are non-discrimination laws to help protect LGBTQIA+ people, discrimination in the workplace, medical care and social settings still occurs.