REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE CYBERSKILLS WORKSHOP
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCH OF THE CYBERSKILLS WORKSHOP ON TUESDAY 30 JUNE, 1998
I would like first of all to thank you for the very warm welcome I have received this morning – and especially the school children who presented me with the lovely flowers as I arrived. It is a privilege for me to be here, and I’m delighted that Fingal County Council have given me this honour by being part of this unique event – an event which represents a new departure for Dublin – and, as the first CyberSkills workshop in the South – a new frontier that has been reached.
This day has an added significance for me in that we are making a connection with St. Dominic’s in Belfast. AS you may know, St. Dominic’s was my old school – and the place where I was fortunate to have some of the best teachers that anybody could have – teachers that allowed me to discover my own abilities – and who opened up a whole world of learning. This CyberSkills workshop that we are launching today is really an extension of education – of opening up minds to knowledge and information. But it has the added advantage of making information available to everybody – not just to school children – or university students – but to all age groups – in fact everybody and anybody that can walk into a library.
An a former educator myself, I know well of the effects of limited access to information – and of the way that lack of educational opportunity can be such an inhibitor of talent and self-respect. But the world is changing – and opportunities for education are continuing to open up. The arrival of the Internet has transformed the information age – has altered almost overnight the way we do business – the way we communicate – and the way we can educate ourselves. It has opened up tremendous new possibilities. New frontiers are being opened up almost daily. Things that were only science fiction only a few years ago are now a reality. There is now almost no limit to what we can do and where we can go on the Internet.
The pace of developments in information technology – in computers and communications – is astonishing. Ireland – with some of the leading manufacturers based here, is well placed to cash in on these fantastic developments – and to avail of the opportunities that are coming up almost daily. With changes in modern society – changes that see, for example, a greater tendency for the elderly to live alone – the greater risk of isolation even for people who live in large housing estates, where it can be all too easy to become isolated – the power and potential for Internet services open up new and exciting possibilities. It is already possible to shop on the Internet – to obtain community information – to establish contact with people in similar circumstances – to locate sources of help and information – and even to get employment. CyberSkills will open up many new bridges in those areas for members of the communities involved.
The link with St. Dominic’s in Belfast this morning – through the Synergy Project on the peace line - is a new and added dimension to those possibilities – allowing instantaneous contact and conversation with people who share the same island – but who live in a completely different set of circumstances. The links established over the Internet can allow that vital contact – the opportunity to exchange ideas and information – to explore fears and apprehensions – and to explain points of view. That process of dialogue is essential if we are to start to break down the barriers of fear and mistrust that have been at the root of so much suffering and hurt on this island – and so essential at this important time in our history – and in our shared history. CyberSkills is the bridge that allows that contact to take place.
The real advantage of the CyberSkills workshop here at the library – and which will eventually be located at the Blanchardstown Centre – is its accessibility to all age groups. No longer are computers and skills the preserve of children – who can sometimes mesmerise you with their natural ability and comfort with the most complicated systems. At the CyberSkills workshop people of all age groups in Blanchardstown, Roselawn and Clondalkin can get the knowledge and skills to allow them to be part of the Information Age. CyberSkills is the bridge for them to the Information society.
In opening this workshop this morning, I would like to commend the vision and foresight of Fingal County Council who – with the skills and experience of ICL – have broken new ground here – and have launched a project which will be a catalyst for many more similar projects – giving every community an opportunity to benefit from and be a part of the Information Age. It is a bold initiative – but it is a clear indication of the value that Fingal County Council places on the communities is serves. I have no doubt that the level of demand for access will in a very short time far outstrip the availability – and that the CyberSkills network will grow at a rapid pace.
ENDS