R U OK?Day was launched in 2009 by founder and adman Gavin Larkin who tragically lost his father to suicide in 1995. Larkin (who died of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2011) wanted to spare other families the grief his own endured. A spark of an idea has since become a national movement aimed at encouraging friends, families, loved ones and workmates to ask the question of anyone they are worried about, in a genuine and meaningful way.
Earlier this year R U OK? conducted a survey that revealed:
* 51% of us were asked by someone if we were OK when we really needed it
* More than half of Australians (57%) in the last 12 months, wanted someone to ask them if they were ok
* While 52% of us thought about asking someone if they were ok, at least once, but didn’t
“With around eight people taking their lives in Australia each day, and many more attempting, there’s still so much work to do,” said R U OK? Campaign Director Katherine Newton. “Each of us can be there for someone struggling with life by following R U OK?’s 4 Steps and pointing people to available help.”
“Going forward, we want our statistics to reflect that the majority of Aussies are asking the question anytime theyspot the signs that someone they care about is behaving out of the norm.”
R U OK?’s Conversation Convoy has just wrapped up a six-week journey around the country hosting 25 events in regional and remote Australia to equip people with the skills and confidence to navigate a conversation if someone says, “No, I’m not ok”.
“We’ve spoken to hundreds of Australians and had some very meaningful conversations as a result. We want people asking the question, ‘Are you ok?’, every day of the year,” said Newton.
Supporting one another and those struggling with life is something we all need to do. That’s why we hit the road again on a six week Conversation Convoy, travelling 14,000 km and visiting 25 communities to show Australians that every day is the day to ask, “Are you OK?”
