Martin Güemes is Secretary of Modernization of the State of the Province of Salta, where he leads a team of 18 officials and 100 public agents. He is also Director of the Agency for Scientific Promotion and Technological Innovation of the Province and Director of the State Telecommunications Company in Saltic. In 2018, he was chosen by JCI International as one of the 20 most outstanding youth in the world for municipal management.  He has 15 years of experience in both the public and private spheres, having advised 60 national and international institutions and companies. Martin is also a university professor at the Catholic University of Salta and was a professor at the University of Belgrano, the University of Salvador, visiting professor at the Austral University and at the UCES, where he was a researcher and academic career coordinator. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Connectivity and Reduction of the Digital Divide in the Rural Communities of Salta as an Essential Element for the Emergence of Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses 

The project reduced the digital divide in remote rural communities in the Province of Salta and worked with local companies and governments to encourage the community to think about the internet as a means for their professional and personal growth. A total of 5,489 people participated in 64 workshops on child grooming prevention, cybersecurity, and electronic commerce.

The project provided young people from rural communities with concrete tools that reduced their fear of technology and the internet, and also reduced the risk of grooming and other cybercrimes. It also encouraged women in the communities to use the internet as a means to achieve economic self-sufficiency to reduce the risk of gender based violence.

"The workshop was held at a time of real need for our institution, the students were going through different situations of digital violence... what was explained by the trainers was clear, opening the opportunity for debate and questions from the...boys and girls.” – Project Partner

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Martin participated in the IVLP Project Entrepreneurship as the Engine of Prosperity and Stability - Small Business Development, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center, in partnership with Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Global Ties Akron and WorldChicago.

Martin's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "Upon my return I have been able to move forward with specific projects that directly influence what I was able to see during the trip. From my role in the government, I was able to carry out projects such as the design of an "Innovation Hub" that we will build in Salta taking ideas from what I was able to experience in Cleveland (Thinkbox), Akron (Bounce Innovation Hub) and in various conversations held during the trip or free Wi-Fi and digital identity projects as a tool for access to service."

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; Akron, OH; Cleveland, OH; Chicago, IL

"The IVLP experience in the United States was very inspiring for me." - Martin Güemes

Country: Argentina

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