SLHC and APSL Research Symposium 2021 – Call for Abstracts : Deadline Friday 28th May 2021

Joint Media Release/ Press Release

SLHC and APSL Research Symposium 2021 – Call for Abstracts

 

The High Commission of Sri Lanka (SLHC) in the United Kingdom and the Association of Professional Sri Lankans (APSL) in the UK are jointly organising a Research Symposium on 1st September 2021 from 9.30 am – 6.30 pm.

The objectives of this symposium are:

  • to provide a common platform for Sri Lankan Academics living in Sri Lanka and the UK;
  • to promote and uplift research to share the best practices, and to create opportunities for researchers to gain further knowledge and skills;
  • To expand the academic and non-academic professional networks linked to SLHC and APSL with an expectation to obtain their contribution towards the betterment of the motherland;
  • to strengthen the relationship between academic professionals domiciled in the UK, SLHC and APSL.

The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Nishan Canagarajah, Vice-Chancellor, University of Leicester, UK, and a guest address will be delivered by Professor Sudantha Liyanage, Vice-Chancellor, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.

Abstracts should be submitted to education@apsl.org.uk with a copy to education@slhc-london.co.ukby Friday 28th May 2021. Following review by a panel, acceptance notifications will be issued by Friday 04th June 2021. To submit an abstract, please follow the guidance information that can be found here.   

APSL signed an MOU with the Foundation of Goodness (FOG) to promote charitable projects in Sri Lanka

APSL signed an MOU with the Foundation of Goodness (FOG) to promote charitable projects in Sri Lanka

We are pleased to announce a new partnership between the Association of Professional Sri Lankans (APSL) in the UK and the Foundation of Goodness (FoG) in Sri Lanka by way of entering into a Memorandum of Understanding.

The Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK was set up to promote unity and professionalism amongst Sri Lankans living in the UK to foster goodwill and cultural relations, as well as support relief and development activities in Sri Lanka.

APSL’s mandate corresponds closely with the Foundation of Goodness’ mission to bridge the gap between rural and urban societies in Sri Lanka while promoting unity and harmony by way of a one-of-a-kind holistic rural development model.

The two organizations will work collaboratively on charitable projects and fundraising ventures to benefit under-served communities in Sri Lanka while providing UK based donors with an opportunity to donate funds.

Prospective donors can now use the link https://virginmoneygiving.com/fund/fog for their donations and the UK donors will be able to reclaim by way of tax, the donations made by them to APSL, which is a recognized and registered Charity in the UK.

Mr. Suraj Wijendra, President of APSL said, “This is a great opportunity for the Sri Lankan communities living in the UK and all other well-wishers to help support numerous good causes in Sri Lanka”.

Mr. Kushil Gunasekera, Founder/ Chief Trustee of the Foundation of Goodness said, “This partnership will help us enhance and enrich our humanitarian endeavours in serving the under-served, island-wide to improve their quality of life.

“Goodness is the one investment that never fails”

A huge thanks to Cardiff Sri Lankan Community

The Sri Lankan community in Cardiff, South Wales, got together on 25th November 2017 at Lisvane Memorial Hall, Heol-Y-Delyn, Lisvane, Cardiff, with the heartful intention of raising funds for our APSL cancer relief fund.

This was a very well-organized event with delicious food, good music, great company and above all for a great cause. More than thirty families around the area bought various delicious dishes whilst making a voluntary financial contribution towards the fund having a great intention of helping the needy cancer patients in Sri Lanka.

The community has managed to raise over £1100, including the contributions during the event and via direct online donations.

APSL highly appreciates the efforts of Dr Anuradha Samarasinghe, Mrs Arjuna Samarasinghe and Dr Dilum Jayawickrama, for organizing the event and would like to say a huge thank you to our Cardiff Sri Lankan community for their spirit and generosity on behalf of all fellow Sri Lankans.

14th Annual APSL UK Fund Raising Dinner Dance – 22nd September 2018 – Thistle Heathrow T 5 Hotel – London

It is with great pleasure that we would like to inform the APSL will be hosting its 14th annual fund-raising dinner dance at the Thistle Heathrow T 5 Hotel in London on 22nd September 2018. This year’s fund-raising event is in aid of Solar Village Project in Sri Lanka. APSL Solar Village concept developed by one of the APSL past Presidents, Prof. I. M. Dharmadasa, focuses on the rural communities who are off the national grid or cannot afford commercially available alternatives and trapped in poverty due to various reasons. The project is developed so those rural communities will learn to help themselves in meeting their energy needs. Similar projects were successfully completed in past including the recent project in Nochchiya Solar village in Kurunegala District.

Every year this annual event is dedicated to fund a worthy cause/project in Sri Lanka and last year we raised funds to establish an APSL Cancer Relief Fund in Sri Lanka, to provide much-needed medicines and other support to Cancer Patients in Sri Lanka.

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14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) – 12th May 2018

The 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK (APSL), was held on Saturday 12th May 2018 at Citadines Holborn – Covent Garden, London.

Mr. V. Vincendrarajan, Third Secretary (Political, Commonwealth and Media) at the Sri Lankan High Commission attended the meeting representing the acting Sri Lanka High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr. Sugeeshwara Gunaratne, who is the Patron of the Association.

The first session of the meeting began with the welcome address by the President Mr. Suraj Wijendra. He briefly outlined the progress made during the period of 2017-2018 and thanked the executive committee, all members and well-wishers who supported the association during the year.

During the speech, he highlighted the importance of APSL working together with like-minded organizations on various humanitarian projects. Also, he mentioned the excellent progress made by APSL projects including scholarship scheme, cancer relief fund, solar village project and the impact of those projects.

Mr Suraj Wijendra’s address was followed by the reading of minutes of last AGM by the General Secretary, Dr Mohan Siriwardena.

After the adoption of the minutes, Dr. Mohan Siriwardena presented the Annual Report for the year 2017 – 2018.

Summary of Annual Report 2017 – 2018

Executive Committee Meetings

Three executive committee meetings were held during the year 2017 – 2018. These meetings were well attended by the executive committee members and number of conference calls were held during the period. Various policy and planning matters related to proposed projects and events, were discussed and agreed during these meetings.

Projects and Events

At the AGM, it was noted that the year 2017-2018 was another highly successful year with serval projects achieving significant milestones.

  1. APSL Fundraising Dinner Dance

The fundraising Dinner Dance event to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK (APSL UK) was held on 23rd Sept 2017 in London, with the presence of a large gathering of members, their families and well-wishers of the Association. This year the event was dedicated to raise funds for the newly launched APSL Cancer Relief Fund.

  1. APSL Scholarship Scheme

The APSL Scholarship Scheme launched in 2014, to provide financial assistance to gifted but underprivileged school children in Sri Lanka, continued to grow during the year too, under the leadership of Mr Mervyn Silva. The total number of scholarships now stands at 58, which is an increase of 24 from the last year. A fundraising dinner dance was held on the 24th March 2018 in Manchester. This event was well attended by current sponsors as well as friends and well-wishers. Several new donors signed up to offer scholarships to needy children.  APSL is actively seeking donors to sign-up to help expand the scheme.

  1. APSL Cancer Relief Project

The APSL Cancer Relief Fund was set up in October 2017 to support cancer patients and their families in Sri Lanka. The aim of this project is to match funding with individuals from disadvantaged families who cannot afford treatment. Proceeds from the dinner dance as well as from the fundraising event held in Cardiff organised by Dr Anuradha Samarasinghe and Dr Dilum Jayawickrama has provided the initial funding for this project.  APSL has already established a cancer relief network of medical professionals and willing to expand the network further. Once registered the medical professionals are eligible to nominate an individual and apply for a maximum of LKR 50,000 per individual/request. The fund will also support the following activities:

  1. Awareness related activities
  2. Patient support – Counselling support in collaboration with Sri Lankan providers, contributions towards transport costs for patients and an accompanying family member to travel to treatment centres
  3. Infrastructure – Applications from hospitals and treatment centres with a genuine need to invest in patient facilities.

APSL Solar Village Project

APSL commissioned a APSL Solar Powered Village Development project in Nochchiya, in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. A 6.0 kW solar roof was installed in January 2017 in Nochchiya village cluster and connected to the National Grid (NG) under “Net Plus” scheme. This project was delivered in collaboration with Hela Sarana, another UK registered charity.  APSL Solar Village Project Team under the leadership of Prof. I M Dharmadasa is currently monitoring the technical performance and the wider socio-economic impact of this project. Feedback received from the village development council so far is extremely positive, and the publicity provided for this project has now attracted significant attention from policymakers in Sri Lanka.

For the first 12 months from Nochchiya solar roof, the average units produced per month is ~520 kWh and the total produced during the first year is 6240 kWh. Therefore, the total income from the solar roof per annum is Rs. 137,280.00 (per month is Rs. 11,440.00). The system provides clean water to over 1200 people and seven surrounding villages can buy clean drinking water for nominal fees to avoid kidney disease.

As a help to the community, motivation certificates with education packs were distributed once, and 2 APSL scholarships were awarded from January 2018.

  1. APSL Eastern Values Project

Building on the success of the previously held discussion series conducted at various locations in the UK including London, Birmingham and Manchester, a ‘Living in the UK’ event was held at the Redbridge Buddhist Vihara in Ilford on the 28th January 2018. This was held with patronage of the Her excellency the Sri Lankan High Commissioner Ms. Amari Wijewardena and Ven. Hemarathana of the temple.

The event was a discussion centred on Eastern and Western values and the day to day experiences Sri Lankans face living in the UK. Dr. Dulini Fernando and Mr Rohan conducted an interesting interactive discussion with the children. Feedback was excellent and APSL is planning to conduct similar events in the coming year.

  1. Flood Relief Project

When several districts in Sri Lanka were affected by severe floods during the month of May 2017, APSL responded in numerous ways. Firstly, APSL responded to an appeal from the Sri Lankan High Commission and donated 5 packs of Tarpaulins (10 in each pack). Secondly, APSL responded to an appeal from the Education Director of Ratnapura District, to help the school children affected by the floods.

APSL in collaboration with London Buddhist Vihara successfully completed a joint flood relief programme to help children affected within the district. Accordingly, 200 school packs were distributed to the children at Rathnodaya Maha Vidyalaya, Hangamuwa, Nivitigala in Ratnapura district on 06th August 2017.

Teachers and parents of the children participated in this event. APSL Membership Secretary Mrs Gayani Senaratne, coordinated the distribution of relief items by liaising with the Education Department authorities in the Ratnapura. We wish to thank and offer our sincere gratitude to Venerable B. Seelawimala, Head Monk of London Buddhist Vihara, the management committee, and the supporters of the London Buddhist Vihara for collaborating with APSL to implement this programme.

  1. APSL Mentoring Project

This is one of the three (3) new projects launched during the year 2017-18. The project aims to provide mentoring support to APSL members and non-members, based in UK and in Sri Lanka, to develop their professional careers. APSL is actively looking for mentors from now on to help implement this project.  Webcollect data management platform has been configured to enable interested members to support this project.  This project is led by Tariq Salih under the guidance of Dr Mahesh de Silva.

     8. APSL University Engagement Project

This newly introduced project aims to act as a conduit to transfer knowledge from APSL members directly to Sri Lankan University students, in particular with an emphasis on enhancing their employability skills. In this regard, Dr Dulini Fernando conducted the first invited guest lecture at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka. An event to cater the Sri Lankan students currently in the UK is being planned for the start of next academic year.

  1. As part of APSL’s expanded knowledge transfer activities, a project to review and enhance English language curricula delivered in Sri Lanka has been initiated in collaboration with Foundation of Goodness, a charitable organisation in Sri Lanka. Miss Paola Bethmage is leading this project, and is expected to make further progress in the coming year.

The Treasurer Miss Buddhini Liyanage presented the Annual Statement of Accounts for the year 2017-2018, which was adopted as correct.

The election of the new executive committee for the year 2018-2019 followed next, and Dr Andrew Nayagam presided as the returning officer.

In the absence of any other nominations, the proposed list of nominees notified to the members were elected unanimously as the executive committee 2018-2019.

President Mr. Suraj Wijendra
Vice Presidents Mr. Thushara Madurasinghe & Dr. Mahesh de Silva
General Secretary Dr. Leshan Uggalla
Membership Secretary Mrs. Gayani Senaratne
Treasurer Miss. Buddhini Liyanage
Executive Committee Members Mr. Leslie Dep (Immediate Past President)

Dr. Mohan Siriwardena (Immediate Past General Secretary)

Ms. Paola Bethmage

Ms. Gowri Dep

Dr. Dilrini De Silva

Prof. Terrance Fernando

Dr. Dulini Fernando

Mr. Gihantha Jayasinghe

Mr. Tariq Salih

APSL Representatives in Sri Lanka Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Dr. Roger Srivasan

Mr. Merill Fernando

Co-opted Senior Members Prof. Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran

Mr. Rohan De Alwis

Prof. I. M. Dharmadasa

Dr. Marc Dissanayake

Dr. Andrew Nayagam

Mr. Mervyn Silva

Mr Suraj Wijendra, who was re-elected as the president for his second term, addressed the gathering and thanked Mr Sugeeshwara Gunaratne, acting Sri Lankan High Commissioner for UK, staff members of Sri Lanka High Commission, all the APSL members and well-wishers, for the support given to the association. He also thanked the members for placing the confidence in him. He outlined his drafted programme for APSL and requested everyone to continue to support APSL.

Before ending the second session, an opportunity was given to the members to express their views and suggestions on matters related to APSL activities. It was a very fruitful discussion with many members coming up with very useful suggestions for the betterment of the Association in future.

The third and the final session of the day was the keynote address delivered by Prof Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St George’s, University of London on the title “Reproductive Health and Rights of Women”. Following this highly informative presentation, a Q & A session was held, where several in the audience participated in a highly fruitful discussion.

The AGM concluded with the vote of thanks given by the newly elected General Secretary Dr. Leshan Uggalla. He thanked Mr. V. Vincendrarajan, third Secretary (Political, Commonwealth and Media), Sri Lankan High Commission, for attending the occasion.

He also thanked Prof Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, APSL executive committee, APSL members and all those who attended the AGM to make it a great success.

The dedication and hard work by the respective project and event leaders, and the support given by the executive committee and members, was vital for the success of all the above projects and events during the past year.

Our thanks are also extended to Newslanka and Sesatha media organisations for providing wide publicity for our activities. APSL is also grateful to the various organisations who provided sponsorships for its events throughout the year.

It was a very successful 14th Annual General Meeting and we look forward to your support and participation in the coming year.

Please click here to view the 14th AGM Photo Album 

Dr Leshan Uggalla,

General Secretary

Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK (APSL UK)

UK Registered Charity No: 1145786

www.apsl.org.uk

 

APSL hosts ‘Ask the Professionals’ discussion at SLHC

The Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK (APSL) was yet again able to conduct an excellent ‘Ask the Professionals’ Series at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London on Friday 13th July 2018. The event was well attended and very interactive.

The invited speakers for this particular event were Mr Kushil Gunasekera – Co-Founder of the ‘Foundation of Goodness’ and Dr Pujitha Silva – Biomedical engineer and Co-Author of ‘Rock Stars’.

President of APSL Suraj Wijendra gave a welcome and introductory speech and mentioned about various projects and events that APSL currently conducts – namely Student Scholarship scheme, Cancer relief project, Solar villages, Living in the UK discussion series and Ask the Expert – series.

 

Dr Pujitha De Silva gave an inspiring presentation about ‘Transformational leadership’ and the impact it has on individuals. From a Biomedical Engineer to a Life Coach, Dr Pujitha Silva is the co-author of the recently published book “Rock Stars “ and also the author of the P3 Model of Growth which was initially written in 2010. Thereafter the model has been validated, published and being used through evidence-based techniques in executive and life coaching.  Using the human anatomy as a leadership model, the book introduces nine steps on how one could progressively mature as a person in the organization and in society as whole to be a role model.

The 2nd presentation was delivered by Mr Kushil Gunasekera on the topic of Empowering rural communities and the role of charities. Kushil is a results-driven visionary who pioneers initiatives that affect sustainable development in rural Sri Lanka. His integrity, dependability and generosity create hope and trust in both individuals and teams alike. Successful entrepreneur, compassionate relief worker and ambassador for peace and reconciliation, Kushil is dedicated to the humanitarian cause. Inculcating the spirit of goodness in each person or project, he impacts our world by making it a better environment for all.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the videos that were shown during the event. The presentations concluded with a questions and answers session in which was highly interactive.  APSL president Suraj, assured that APSL will commit and closely work with Foundation of goodness in order to help and support humanitarian activities and development projects in Sri Lanka.

APSL Executive committee member Paola Bethmage delivered an energetic vote of thanks to attendees. The evening concluded with some refreshments and networking which everyone enjoyed.

APSL wishes to thank all attendees including Mr N.L.A. Haleem Counsellor (Political & Public Affairs) and Mr Senuja Samaraweera – Second Secretary (Commercial) of the Sri Lanka High Commission who graced the occasion.

Festival of Cricket (FOC) – 2018

With the true spirit of supporting Sri Lankan Cricket, The Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK (APSL) attended the Festival of Cricket (FOC) held in London on the 8th July 2018.

The APSL stall was buzzing with a constant trend of visitors who showed an interest in its activities and the type of fundraising project that was currently carried out.

Despite the day being an extremely heaty 30 C degrees plus temperature the APSL Ex-co were able to endure 10 hours of marketing, publicity and recruitment throughout the day.

APSL wishes to thank everyone who attended our stall and most welcome to the new members that were recruited.

To see photos please click the here

 

APSL – Ask the Professionals Series -13th July 2018

The Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK (APSL), is pleased to invite you to their next “Ask the Professionals” event. This is a free event and a great opportunity to meet positive and like-minded professionals, network and find out what APSL are doing in the UK and Sri Lanka and support their charitable activities.

Date & Time: Friday 13th July 2018, 6.00 pm – 8:30 pm
Venue: Sri Lankan High Commission, No.13, Hyde Park Gardens, London W2 2LU

Dr. Pujitha Silva , PhD , PCC – Director of the Centre for Biomedical Innovation (CEBI) at the University of Moratuwa – From a Biomedical Engineer to a Life Coach, Dr Pujitha Silva is the co-author of the recently published book “Rock Stars“ and also the author of the P3 Model of Growth which was initially written in 2010. Thereafter the model has been validated, published and being used through evidence-based techniques in executive and life coaching. Using the human anatomy as a leadership model, the book introduces nine steps on how one could progressively mature as a person in the organization and in society as whole to be a role model.

Mr. Kushil Gunasekara – Co-founder of the Foundation of Goodness – Kushil Gunasekera is a results-driven visionary who pioneers initiatives that effect sustainable development in rural Sri Lanka. His integrity, dependability and generosity create hope and trust in both individuals and teams alike. Successful entrepreneur, compassionate relief worker and ambassador for peace and reconciliation, Kushil is dedicated to the humanitarian cause. Inculcating the spirit of goodness in each person or project, he impacts our world by making it a better environment for all.

Dr Chesmal Siriwardhana’s 2nd Memorial Lecture – 21st June 2018

The second memorial lecture in memory of Dr Chesmal Siriwardhana, organised by the Centre for Global Mental Health was held on the 21st June 2018 at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Mr Leslie Dep, immediate past president of the association represented APSL at the event.

Prof. Bayard Roberts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine gave the keynote address on “Research on mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings – progress, gaps and opportunities”. Dr Roberts has visited Sri Lanka with Dr Chesmal and mentioned the work he carried out globally with Dr Chesmal.

Dr Melanie Abbas gave a glowing tribute and a reflection of the work of Dr Chesmal Siriwardhana by remembering his time in IoPPN. There was a Q&A session chaired by Prof Ricardo Araya towards the end.

Dr Chesmal was one of the vice presidents of the APSL and was serving as an Associate Professor at London school of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine at the time of his untimely demise. Dr Chesmal was a mental health expert who focused on migrants and people in armed conflict zones. He received his PhD in Psychiatric Epidemiology and his MSc from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. Dr Chesmal has completed his degree of Medicine (MD) from the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia and Vitebski Dzjaržauny Medycynski Universitet. He was a very popular lecturer and inspired many students both in Sri Lanka and in United Kingdom with his work on global mental health. He was born on 6 June 1978 in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka and suddenly passed away due to a traffic incident in London on 9 April 2017, aged 38 years.

 

Updated Privacy Notice

APSL Privacy Policy – Updated on 2018.05.24

 

Introduction

APSL is committed to protecting our members, sponsors and donors’ privacy and takes its responsibility regarding the security of customer information very seriously. We will be clear and transparent about the information we are collecting and what we will do with that information.

This Policy sets out the following:

  1. What personal data we collect and process about you
  2. Why we need your personal data
  3. How do we store and process your personal data
  4. Who we share your personal data with
  5. How long we hold your personal data
  6. Your rights regarding your personal data

 

  1. What personal data we collect and process about you:

You may give us information about you by filling in our membership form or sponsor form online or at an event, or by corresponding with us by phone, e-mail or otherwise. This includes information you provide when you register with the APSL. The information you give us may include your name, date of birth, address, e-mail address, phone number and gender.

  1. Why we need your personal data:

The reason we need your data is to be able to administer your membership, and provide the membership services you are signing up to when you register with the APSL. Our lawful basis for processing your personal is that as a member to provide the services you are registering for.

Reasons we need to process your data include:

a) For membership and APSL management

  • Processing of membership forms and payments;
  • Sharing data with committee members to provide information about APSL activities, membership renewals or invitation to social events; and
  • APSL newsletter promoting APSL activity

b) For event, training and mentoring planning  

  • Sharing personal data with APSL trainers or mentors to administer training / mentoring;
  • Sharing personal data with APSL event organisers to plan events; and
  • Sharing personal data with facility providers to manage access to the venues

c) For funding and reporting purposes

  • Sharing anonymised data with a funding partner as condition of grant funding
    • g. Local Authority;
  • Analysing anonymised data to monitor APSL trends; and Who we share your personal data with
  • Sending an annual APSL survey to improve your experience as a APSL member

d) Marketing and communications (where separate consent is provided)

  • Sending information about promotions and offers from sponsors;
  • Sending information about selling APSL fundraising.

On occasions, we may collect personal data from non-members such as event participants who book their places on Web Collect. This information will be stored for 52 weeks after an event and then destroyed securely. Our lawful basis for processing data is consent. Therefore, we will also need explicit consent from non-members to process this data, which we will ask for at the point of collecting it.

The APSL has the following social media pages Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn. All members are free to join these pages. If you join one of the Social Media pages, please note that provider of the social media platform(s) has their own privacy policies and that the APSL do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies.  Please check these policies before you submit any personal data on the APSL social media pages.

  1. How do we store and process your personal data

The Data Controller is normally the Membership Secretary and the Data Controller shall include any person appointed or delegated by the Data Controller to perform specific duties under the Policy.

We store and process your personal data within the UK – on Web Collect portal for membership details and Virgin money giving for sponsor details. You can view and amend your details anytime by login on to these sites.

The APSL does not store or transfer your personal data outside of the UK

  1. Who we share your personal data with

The APSL does not supply / share any personal data it holds of members or sponsors, to any other third party.

  1. How long we hold your personal data

We will hold your personal data on file for as long as you are a member with us. Membership data is updated every year online. Any personal data we hold on you will be securely destroyed after four years of inactivity on that member’s account. Your data is not processed for any further purposes other than those detailed in this policy.

  1. Your rights regarding your personal data

As a data subject you may have the right at any time to request access to, rectification or erasure of your personal data; to restrict or object to certain kinds of processing of your personal data, including direct marketing; to the portability of your personal data and to complain to the UK’s data protection supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office about the processing of your personal data.

As a data subject you are not obliged to share your personal data with the APSL. If you choose not to share your personal data with us we may not be able to register or administer your membership.