PAIGE FINDLOW
The Conversation Convoy arrived in Brisbane last Thursday to speak to the Brisbane community about suicide prevention.
The Convoy is part of the national ‘R U OK Day’ campaign, encouraging people to talk about their mental health and to help change the way suicide is spoken about, understood and prevented.
It departed Uluru on August 1 and is travelling 14,000km in six weeks, visiting 20 communities to inspire everyone, no matter their location, to invest more time in the people around them.
R U OK Ambassador, Paul McFarlane praised the campaign for providing people with the tools they need to have a conversation with someone who may need it.
“Both the campaign and the convoy that has been set up gives people the skills, motivation and confidence to start a conversation with anyone they might be worried about,” Mr McFarlane said.
Brisbane locals participated in a number of activities run by the campaign aimed to help people learn all of the four steps.
The four steps of the campaign are: Ask (R U OK), Listen, Encourage action and Follow up.
Kalani Robert, a Brisbane based psychiatrist who also helps to run R U Ok day events, said the four step process is really easy to understand and implement.
“I work a lot with suicide prevention and the four step method is so effective. It is super easy to understand but more importantly, is super easy to implement,” Ms Roberts said.
“I use it in my professional life too, it helps to encourage my clients to have a conversation and also helps them to pay it forward and help others.”
The convoy is currently in Townsville and will travel to Cairns for R U OK day on the 14th of September.
For more information visit the R U OK website: https://www.ruok.org.au
There are people waiting to help you, call lifeline if you are need of help on: 13 11 14 or contact them through https://www.lifeline.org.au/
Alternatively you can contact beyond blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au or 1300 22 463