R U OK? launch primary school kit to encourage the question; R U OK?

hello • 25 July 2018

R U OK? has rolled out a primary school-based toolkit targeting children from six to 12 years of age. The toolkit will encourage students to look out for their class mates by helping them learn skills to recognise that a friend might not be OK and how to ask the question.

The R U OK? Primary School Toolkit supports Australian-wide curriculum requirements and has been developed so younger students can understand what someone looks and feels like when they are struggling, how to be a good friend and to seek help from a trusted adult if a problem is too big to manage.

In Australia, approximately 14 per cent of children aged four to 17 years old experience a mental health problem each year, amounting to 560,000 Australian children and adolescents in any one year. The charity along with an advisory group, have developed the age appropriate kit with the aim of helping young students support friends through life’s challenges as they develop in to teenagers and adults.

Young people are most likely to talk to friends or family members as the first step in seeking support, although many young people will be unsure of the best way to help. The R U OK? Primary School Toolkit will act as a platform to begin to develop the necessary confidence and skills in this age group.

Education Resource Architect Sarah Jackson said, “The value of reaching children early and equipping teachers with pre-packaged classroom activities to aid Health and PE lessons and life skills, can only strengthen our collective efforts to make younger students more resilient and equipped for life.”


The toolkit contains structured lesson plans for teachers and classroom activities that focus on identifying feelings, what behaviours make someone a supportive friend, what behaviours/comments may indicate a friend is struggling and resources to nominate a thoughtful class mate for a Certific-mate award. The activities are designed to be flexible and fun, while reinforcing supportive behaviours.

The charity hopes the toolkit will make a positive long-term contribution to strengthening peer-to-peer support in young people across Australia.

R U OK? CEO Brendan Maher said, “We are extremely proud as an organisation to offer this free toolkit to Australian primary schools’ so our young people can learn how to better support each other. We hope that embedding these skills in the formative years will make checking-in behaviors and open conversations the new norm going forward.” he said.

For more information and to download the toolkit, go to www.ruok.org.au/education

For more information on Sarah Jackson, visit: www.sarahjacko.com

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After ten years of teamwork, partnerships, growth, and countless conversations, I will be stepping down as CEO from 1 December 2025. It has been an extraordinary privilege to contribute to the growth of this movement and to witness meaningful change before my eyes. Gavin Larkin founded R U OK? because he believed conversation has the power to change lives. One seemingly simple question, when asked with genuine intent and care, can start a meaningful and sometimes complex conversation. And that’s what Gavin wanted. For people to look beyond responses of “I’m fine” or “All good” and ask, “Are you really OK?”. The notion of going deeper with conversations, of asking a second time, of trusting our guts and moving past our hesitation - is being grasped and moving beyond one day to any day. Whilst saying “G’day how are you?” will always be a greeting - we can do more. When Gavin lost his father to suicide he wanted to try and protect other families from the pain his endured. He wanted to get people talking and having real chats about how they’re feeling with their mates, their family and their colleagues. In locker rooms, lunch rooms, and lounge rooms across the nation. But he approached it from a different angle. Gavin wanted all of us to have the confidence to support the people we care about who might be struggling with life. To make conversations a natural part of our behaviour, to openly show our signals of support. So as R U OK? generations continue to evolve, my chapter is coming to a close. How fortunate I am to have been part of the story. From hesitant glances during presentations in 2015 to queues of people waiting for a conversation in 2025. From yellow wigs in the office, to welcoming yellow-swathed Ambassadors to share their lived experience. From yellow coffee cups in a café, to yellow cars driving into communities nationwide. And yes, there’s been a few cupcakes along the way. Social change is happening, and we are all a part of it. No one organisation can prevent suicide, no one individual can save everyone - but the power of many can make a difference.
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