Sensis: Conversation Corners set to pop up in secondary schools

Robyn Ward • 29 June 2015

To inspire conversations in high schools around Australia, we teamed up with Sensis and Yellow Pages to launch 65 Conversation Corners.

Barry Du Bois R U OK? Ambassador with secondary school students

The Conversation Corners will serve as ongoing reminders for students to be there for one another, and features a specially designed R U OK? Bench.

Students at James Meehan High School in Macquarie Fields are amongst the first to launch their Conversation Corner, with the help of R U OK? Ambassador Barry DuBois.

As Network Ten’s The Living Room Design and DIY guru, Barry reviewed the bench design and said it was the perfect place for students to start a conversation.

“School days are often tough, so encouraging kids to ask this simple question is a great idea,” said Barry. “It’s something we can all do to help one another through life’s ups and downs.”

Head Teacher Wellbeing at James Meehan High School, Sarah Jackson, said the Conversation Corner has been embraced by her students.

“The mental wellbeing of teenagers is top of the agenda for schools,” Sarah said.

“I’m so pleased that the Conversation Corners are intended to be student-led, with support from teachers and parents. By putting young people at the heart of the project, they’re more likely to live the R U OK? message on a daily basis.”

R U OK? Campaign Director, Rebecca Lewis, said students and teachers will be guided through the project with an implementation kit. Teachers can also use existing R U OK? at School resources to further foster and support a culture of connectedness, resilience and empathy.

“Our dream is that high school students everywhere will be empowered and inspired to ask “are you ok?” any day a mate is struggling. The bench can either serve as a reminder to have conversations – or the place to start conversations; whichever works best for the school and the students.”

The Conversation Corners have been funded by Yellow Pages. Sensis Chief Executive Officer, John Allan, said communities continue to be of utmost importance to the Yellow Pages.

“We are proud to be working with R U OK? to launch such a great initiative to benefit schools and help champion such a powerful question,” said John.

The 65 schools awarded a bench had to submit 150 words as to why a bench was a great idea for their school. The Conversation Corner kit and benches will be distributed by the end of June

For schools who don’t have a bench, they can still create a Conversation Corner in their school using an existing bench and by downloading the Conversation Corner toolkit here: https://ruok.org.au/3 65-day-resources

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Announcement from the CEO, Katherine Newton

by Katherine Newton • 16 October 2025
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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