RUOK? heads to Tasmania for the conversation convoy national tour

RUOK? Ambassador Jodhi Meares

National suicide prevention charity R U OK? is heading to Ulverstone and Devonport, Tasmania, on Tuesday 31 July as part of a six week awareness-raising road trip around the country, in the lead up to R U OK?Day Thursday 13 September.

The Conversation Convoy is heading to 25 metropolitan, regional and remote communities, spanning over 14,000 kms to encourage all Australian’s to ask the simple question and check in with one another.

Joining the R U OK? team in Ulverstone and Devonport is ambassador and actor Steve Bastoni who will participate in a Q&A. In Ulverstone, there will also be representatives from the local Men’s and Women’s Shed. The morning will include a free community BBQ, tea station, children’s activities and interactive ways to learn the four steps to ask R U OK?

Devonport will see local representatives from Headspace, Cornerstone Youth Service, SIDS and Kids Tasmania and StandBy (Lifeline) to name a few, as well as Acting Mayor Annette Rockliff.

In its 10th year, R U OK? has found that Australians need to get more comfortable asking the question, R U OK?, not just one day a year but every time we recognise the signs that someone we care about might be struggling with life.

The R U OK? Conversation Convoy will continue making its way around the country, visiting Mildura and the Murray Bridge for the next stop, culminating in Sydney on R U OK?Day.

R U OK? CONVERSATION CONVOY ULVERSTONE EVENT
Date Tuesday 31 July 2018
Time 10am – 11.30am
Location Ulverstone Showgrounds, 2 Flora Street, Ulverstone
Talent Katherine Newton, R U OK? Campaign Director
Steve Bastoni, R U OK? Ambassador

R U OK? CONVERSATION CONVOY DEVONPORT EVENT
Date Tuesday 31 July 2018
Time 2.30pm – 4pm
Location Best Street ‘Pay as you leave’ car park, Devonport
Talent Katherine Newton, R U OK? Campaign Director
Steve Bastoni, R U OK? Ambassador

Head to www.ruok.org.au/conversation-convoy to track the journey or find a local event.

MULTIMEDIA ASSETS:

R U OK? Story
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab8gtRXtme0
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/281540630

The Signs TVC:
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/278247087

2018 research results …
• More than half of Australians (57%) in the last 12 months, wanted someone to ask them if they were ok
• Encouragingly, Australians are reporting asking the question more frequently with 81% of Aussies saying they had asked someone if they were OK more than once in the past 12 months
• 51% of us were asked by someone if we were OK when we really needed it
• However, the results revealed there is still work to do with 52 % of us having thought about asking someone if they were ok, at least once, but didn’t

R U OK?
• R U OK? is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with life
• R U OK?Day is a national day of action, held on the Thursday 13 September, 2018
• Every day is the day to start a conversation. Conversation tips and crisis numbers can be found at ruok.org.au
Hannah Crosby