Nicolas Freire Castello is an academic at the Faculty of Economics, Government and Communications of the Central University of Chile, and director of the Observatory of Politics and Social Networks. Nicolas has a Ph. D. in American Studies from the University of Santiago and a master’s with honors in Parliamentary Institutions from the Sapienza Università di Roma. He also has a diploma in Regional Integration from the University of Chile. Over the last 10 years he has combined university teaching, academic research and public and private consultancy, frequently participating as a panelist and analyst for print media, radio and television.

He served as a parliamentary advisor in the Senate of the Republic of Chile and as a professor at various universities in Chile, Peru, Mexico and Italy. He has participated in workshops and conferences for public and government institutions, such as the Communications Commission of the Constitutional Convention, the Electoral Service of Chile and the State Electoral Institute of Hidalgo, among others; and for international agencies such as UNHCR and intergovernmental organizations such as Pacific Alliance and Joint Center for Peacekeeping Operations. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: School of Digital Citizenship

This project raised media literacy for citizens in the communities of San Miguel, La Cisterna, and Pedro Aguirre Cerda through a series of workshops about information access, data safety and identifying digital misinformation. The training was structured around an institutional framework given by neighborhood councils. Unlike municipality or regional councils, neighborhood councils allow young people between the ages of 18 and 14 to vote.

The Digital Citizenship School reached 90 social leaders across the target communities, 22 of which were then certified as digital citizenship monitors. Many of the workshop resources were used as academic tools at the Universidad Central de Chile.    

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Nicolas participated in the IVLP Project Identifying and Combating Disinformation to Promote Media organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Mississippi Consortium for International Development, in partnership with World Partnerships, Inc., San Diego Diplomacy Council and WorldChicago.

Nicolas' exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "IVLP was a tremendously enriching experience for my personal and professional development."

U.S. Communities Visited Virtually 

San Diego, CA; Washington, DC; Tampa, FL; Chicago, IL

Country: Chile

Click here to go back to the IVLP Impact Awards Main Page