R U OK? DAY 2021
R U OK? Day was held on Thursday 9th September, and it is a day that inspires and empowers everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life.
At St Andrews College we know that this important message goes beyond just a day and our staff and students took lots of opportunities throughout the entire week to promote awareness of the day and create meaningful connections with each other.The SRC organised great initiatives such as a photo challenge to 'show us how you asked', Zoom conversation corners, Mental Health Checklists, a 'Go Yellow' day and more!
We know that there are lots of people who are struggling in our community during these challenging times, and we encourage everyone to reach out and "Are they really OK? Ask them today". Your conversation could change a life.
R U OK? is a harm prevention charity that encourages people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times in their lives.Their work focuses on building the motivation, confidence and skills of the help-giver – the person who can have a meaningful conversation with someone who is struggling with life. R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention efforts by encouraging people to invest more time in their personal relationships and building the capacity of informal support networks – friends, family and colleagues - to be alert to those around them, have a conversation if they identify signs of distress or difficulty and connect someone to appropriate support, long before they're in crisis.
You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener.
Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:
- Ask R U OK?
- Listen
- Encourage action
- Check in
It is more important than ever to spread kindness and inspire meaningful connections when we are separated by lockdown!
Remember to check in on the people around you, because something as simple as a conversation could make a world of difference. But it goes beyond just a single day. Make today the beginning of ongoing conversations that you have with those around you, and most importantly, continue to check in.
Miss Emily Pett
Leader of Learning Wellbeing Year 11