TRUST announced today that a new book – ‘Wasting Time with People?’ – edited and compiled by its Director and Co-Founder, Alice Leahy will be published by Gill & Macmillan next year.

The main aim of our book, Wasting Time with People?, is to attempt to start a debate about why at a time of material success so many people complaining about being “time poor” and the implications of that for all of us. To address this very challenging issue, Alice Leahy invited a number of people from all sections of society to contribute their thoughts. Those who rose to the challenge include leading writers, artists, church leaders, sports personalities as well as people who are homeless in addition to doctors, nurses and those active in community groups in urban and rural Ireland.

Commenting about the book project, Alice Leahy said: “As the pace of life in Ireland has dramatically increased, and stress has become a fact of life for almost everyone, the amount of time people have, even for each other, seems to be harder and harder to find. In TRUST we meet the casualties, those who cannot fit in or keep up, and we know from our experience there is no hope of ever creating a society that will be a welcoming place for the outsider unless we can make time for others both in our families and communities. Indeed, that applies equally to people working in public service, where staff are sometimes made to feel they are “wasting time with people” when they give, even the most vulnerable, the time and attention they need.”

Alice Leahy also said that like TRUST’s last book, With Trust in Place, published by Townhouse, we are once again seeking to show how anyone can make a difference if they are prepared to make time for others. “Indeed, it is remarkable how we often talk about what the State can do to help others, and often forget the most important catalyst in creating a better society — what each one of us can do in our way, especially in terms of helping those who are outsiders feel part of the community. Time is what is usually required and until we recognise that we have to invest times with others, in our families, in our communities and in helping those who are forgotten we will never make progress in creating a truly inclusive society “, she said.