Terms

LeaderStories.org is published by SparkAction, which is owned and controlled by the Forum for Youth Investment (hereinafter “SparkAction”).

Our Reprint Policies

What's ours is yours, for the most part...

Personal, Nonprofit and Noncommerical Use

We invite you to reprint and share the articles and materials created by SparkAction and for which we hold the copyright, provided that you are reproducing them for personal, noncommercial use.

You must retain the author's byline and credit SparkAction as the source: "Published on LeaderStories.org by SparkAction, an online journalism and advocacy center to improve the lives of children and youth." Please drop us a line letting us know where you reprinted our articles by emailing reprints[at]sparkaction.org.

Please note that we cannot grant reprint permission for articles and materials to which we do not own the rights, so make sure you're not reprinting something we've reprinted or that comes from another source.

Public Use

Requests to reproduce our articles for commercial or other public use must be made in writing to reprints[at]sparkaction.org. Please include a brief description of the purpose and manner in which the materials will be used. Our reply will be prompt and will confirm attribution language and fee, if any.

Linking to and from LeaderStories.org

We're all about community and cross-promotion, so we encourage links to our site. SparkAction is always looking for content that informs and motivates all of us to lead for results and impact.  To suggest a site, article or publication for consideration, email info[at]sparkaction.org. (Please note that we generally do not promote commercial products.)  However, please follow our User Content guidelines below. 

Disclaimer

The materials presented herein are for information purposes only. We have not screened each individual, organization, or discussion board message that appears on this site or that is electronically linked to this site. The appearance of an individual, organization, or discussion board message on this site is not intended as an endorsement. We urge all users of this site to conduct their own investigation of any products or services identified herein.

Your Privacy

We occasionally have surveys that collect information about our users. We promise not to rent, sell or give the information you provide to anyone else without your explicit permission. This information is used solely to evaluate and improve our website and materials.

Protecting Children and Youth (and all of us)

SparkAction is concerned about the safety and privacy of children online. We make all efforts to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). COPPA and its accompanying FTC regulations establish United States federal law that protects the privacy of children using the Internet. We do not and will not knowingly contact or collect personal information from children under 13. This site is not intended to solicit information of any kind from children under 13, and we will develop our site with the capacity to block acceptance of information from children under 13 whenever age-related information is requested. It is possible that by fraud or deception by others we may receive information given to us by, or pertaining to children under 13. If we are notified of this, as soon as we verify the information, we will immediately obtain parental consent or else delete the information from our servers. If you want to notify us of our receipt of information by children under 13, please do so by emailing us at info[at]sparkaction.org.

Cookies

This site contains "cookies," a tracking mechanism which enables us to understand how people use the site so that we can most effectively deliver information to our users. As with our surveys, we will not sell or share this information without your express permission. There are many sites where you can learn more about cookies, such as Cookie Central.

Guidelines User Submissions of User Content

SparkAction encourages the sharing of ideas and resources that further its mission.  In this regard, we accepts materials for publication on the site.   You understand that any and all information or material that you transmit to, or supply to SparkAction is referred to as "User Content."  User Content, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, available in connection with the website is the sole responsibility of the person from whom such User Content originated. This means that you, and not SparkAction are responsible for all User Content that you provide, email, transmit or otherwise make available.  SparkAction control and monitor of User Content is limited and SparkAction does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of such User Content.  Further, you understand that by using the website, you may be exposed to User Content that is offensive, indecent or objectionable.  Under no circumstances will SparkAction be liable in any way for any User Content, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any User Content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any User Content posted, emailed, transmitted or otherwise made available via the Services.

You acknowledge, consent and agree that SparkAction may access, preserve and disclose your User Data and other User Content if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such access preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process; (b) enforce the Terms; (c) respond to claims that any User Content violates the rights of third parties; (d) respond to your requests for customer service; or (e) protect the rights, property or personal safety of SparkAction, its users and the public. Subject to the foregoing, SparkAction will use reasonable efforts to maintain the confidentiality of your User Data.

By uploading, posting, emailing, transmitting, or otherwise making available User Content for the website you expressly warrant:

•             you are solely responsible for the transmission, accuracy, completeness, and publication of that User Content;

•           you control all of the rights to that User Content and that it neither does nor will infringe or violate the rights of any third party; and

•             SparkAction bears no responsibility, legal or otherwise, for that User Content.

Prohibited User Content

A User may not post User Content on any website owned or affiliated with SparkAction that:

  • is patently offensive and/or promotes racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual;
  • harasses or advocates harassment of another person;
  • exploits people in a sexual or violent manner;
  • contains nudity, violence, or offensive subject matter;
  • provides any telephone numbers, street addresses, last names or email addresses of anyone except you;
  • promotes information that you know is false or misleading or promotes illegal activities or conduct that is abusive, threatening, obscene, defamatory or libelous;
  • violates any intellectual property or other proprietary right of any third party, including User Content that promotes an illegal or unauthorized copy of another person's copyrighted work, such as providing pirated computer programs or links to them, providing information to circumvent manufacture-installed copy-protect devices, or providing pirated music or links to pirated music files;
  • involves the transmission of "junk mail," "chain letters," or unsolicited mass mailing, instant messaging, "spimming," or "spamming";
  • furthers or promotes any criminal activity or enterprise or provides instructional information about illegal activities including, but not limited to making or buying illegal weapons, violating someone's privacy, or providing or creating computer viruses;
  • solicits passwords or personal identifying information for commercial or unlawful purposes from other members;
  • involves commercial activities and/or sales without SparkAction’s prior written consent, such as contests, sweepstakes, barter, advertising, or pyramid schemes;
  • includes a photograph of another person posted without that person's consent or, in the case of children under the age of eighteen (18), parental consent, or otherwise constitutes an invasion of an individual's privacy or infringement of publicity rights; or
  • contains a virus or other harmful component.

Deletion of User Content

Upon request, SparkAction will undertake commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that any User Content that you request be deleted and purged.

Ownership Rights in User Content

SparkAction does not claim ownership of User Content.  However, with respect to User Content you submit or make available in connection with the Site  (other than User Data or Payment Method information), you grant SparkAction a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free and non-exclusive license, as applicable, to use, copy, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, create derivative works from, publicly perform and publicly display, incorporate, and otherwise exploit such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, or in connection with SparkAction or the Services or the promotion thereof. Further, you agree that any "moral rights" in your User Content have been waived.  Should SparkAction however, seek to make use of certain User Content—for instance, a User's image—for explicit commercial, promotional or advertising purposes, SparkAction will make a reasonable effort to secure consent from that User for that specific purpose.

SparkAction Review of User Content

You acknowledge that SparkAction may or may not pre-screen or monitor User Content, but that SparkAction and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to pre-screen, monitor, refuse or remove any User Content that is available via the Services. By consenting to the Terms, you understand and acknowledge that when you access or otherwise use SparkAction’s website services,  you may be exposed to User Content from a variety of sources, and that SparkAction is not responsible for the accuracy, usefulness, safety, or intellectual property rights of or relating to such User Content. Further, you must understand and acknowledge that you may be exposed to User Content that is inaccurate, offensive, indecent or objectionable, and you agree to waive, and hereby do waive, any legal or equitable rights or remedies you may have against SparkAction with respect thereto. Without limiting the foregoing, SparkAction and its designees shall have the right to remove any User Content that violates the Terms or is otherwise objectionable. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any User Content available in connection with the Services, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such User Content.

No Interference with Operation of Site

You may not use any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means to access the Site or content or services provided on the Site for any purposes. You may not post content on the Site that contains any viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, spiders, or other computer programming routines that are intended to damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or personal information. You shall not attempt to make the Site unavailable through denial-of-service attacks or similar means.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

If you are a copyright owner or an agent thereof and believe that any User Submission or any other any content at this Site infringes upon your copyright, you may submit a written notification pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) (see 17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3) for further information) by providing our Copyright Agent (listed below) with the following information: (i) an electronic or physical signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed; (ii) a description of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed or if multiple copyrighted works are covered by a notification, a representative list of such works at our Site; (iii) a description of the location on the Site of the allegedly infringing material(s); (iv) your address, telephone number, and email address; (v) a written statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material(s) in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and (vi) a written statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

If a User Submission that you submitted has been removed as a result of a notification as described above and you believe that such a User Submission or portion of a User Submission was posted lawfully, please contact us about our counter-notification procedure through which you can dispute the allegation and request re-posting of the User Submission content at issue

SparkAction designated Copyright Agent for notice of claims of infringement is:

Copyright compliance Agent

SparkAction

The Forum for Youth Investment

7064 Eastern Ave., N.W.

Washington, DC 20012

Only notices of alleged copyright infringement and requests about the counter-notification procedures should go to the Copyright Agent; any other feedback, comments, and other communications should be directed to Forum For Youth Investment.  You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with all of the notice requirements of the DMCA, your notice may not be valid.

Links to Other Websites

The Site may contain links to other websites that are not under the control of the site. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by SparkAction of such site and SparkAction is not responsible for the content of such linked sites.

Modifications to this Agreement

We reserve the right to modify this Agreement at any time, and without prior notice, by posting amended terms on this Site. We encourage you to review this Agreement periodically for any updates or changes, which will have an update effective date.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The Site and the content and services made available on the Site are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.  SparkAction does not make and disclaims all express and implied warranties and representations, including, but not limited to, any implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, with regard to the Site, the Site content, or any advice or services provided through the Site to the extent permitted by law.  SparkAction does not warrant that access to the Site or its content or services will be uninterrupted or error-free or that defects in the Site will be corrected.

The advice, recommendations, information, and conclusions posted or emailed by other members of the Site are not in any way vetted, approved or endorsed by SparkAction, and your use such information at your own risk.

Limitation of Liability

Under no circumstances shall SparkAction, its partners, contributors, agents, employees, directors, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages (even if it has been advised of the possibility of such damages) due to your use of this Site or due to your reliance on any of the content contained or the services provided on the Site.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless SparkAction, its officers, employees, agents, subsidiaries, affiliates and other partners, from and against any claims, actions or demands, liabilities and settlements including without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, resulting from, or alleged to result from, your violation of this Agreement.

International Users

SparkAction makes no claims that information on the Site is appropriate or may be downloaded outside of the United States. Personal information (“Information”) that is submitted to this Site will be collected, processed, stored, disclosed and disposed of in accordance with applicable U.S. law and our Privacy Policy. If you are a non-U.S. user, you acknowledge and agree that SparkAction may collect and use your Information and disclose it to other entities outside your resident jurisdiction. In addition, such Information may be stored on servers located outside your resident jurisdiction. U.S. law may not provide the degree of protection for Information that is available in other countries. By providing us with your Information, you acknowledge that you consent to the transfer of such Information outside your resident jurisdiction as detailed in our Privacy Policy. If you do not consent to such transfer, you may not use this Site.

Governing Law and Venue

This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the District of Columbia and the applicable federal laws of the United States of America.  All disputes arising under, or in any way connected with membership in or use of the Site, shall be litigated exclusively in the state and federal courts residing in the District of Columbia, and in no other court or jurisdiction.  You hereby submit to the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the District of Columba.

Miscellaneous Terms

SparkAction may assign this agreement at any time to a subsidiary or parent company or to a successor to its business as part of a merger or sale of substantially all of its assets. You may not assign or transfer this agreement.

If any provision of this Agreement is held to be unenforceable for any reason, the remaining provisions will be unaffected and remain in full force and effect.

For any questions or comments, or to report violations of this agreement, let us know, or contact us at:

 

©2019 The Forum for Youth Investment unless otherwise noted.
SparkAction™ and "For children. For youth. For change.™" are trademarks of the Forum for Youth Investment.

 

Back to LeaderStories.org