Digital Community Centres Hope to Bridge the Digital Divide in Dublin, Ireland

The first of nine Digital Community Centres in Dublin, Ireland was launched
last week in an effort to bridge the digital divide between that city’s
affluent citizens and those with lower incomes.

By: Rosemarie Gilligan EuropeMedia.net

Last week saw the launch of the first Digital Community Centre in a flat complex in Dublin’s inner city. This is an important first step towards bridging the digital divide between underprivileged areas of the inner city and more affluent areas. A further eight Digital Community Centres will be set up in similar residential complexes in the coming months.

The objective of the programme is to help selected inner city communities better participate in the information society. This is to be achieved through skill acquisition in IT and improved access to information and communication.

The Digital Community Centres will be located within a total of nine residential complexes. Each Centre will consist of a fully equipped computer room in one to two dedicated flats. Each room will have computers, printers, scanners, access to high-speed DSL lines and free internet connection. A full time manager, funded by Hewlett Packard, will be employed to work with these communities and provide computer training to residents.

Seven partners and sponsors are involved in the programme: Dublin Institute for Technology, Hewlett Packard, the Dublin Inner City Partnership, the Digital Hub, the National Centre for Technology in Education, eircom and Dublin City Council.

(http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=15986)