2017: A year in review

hello • 11 January 2018

We share some of the good news stories and achievements of the past year

Before R U OK? announces our plans for the year ahead, we wanted to pause and reflect on the year that was.


 2017 was an incredible year for R U OK? – with national awareness and participation in the campaign continuing to grow. The simplicity and effectiveness of our four conversation steps - Ask R U OK?, Listen, Encourage action and Check in- has continued to build the capacity of Australians to support those struggling with life.


Here are just a few of our good news stories and achievements in 2017:

The Conversation Convoy:

We travelled 16,000 km across Australia on the Conversation Convoy. We visited every state and territory and hosted events in 22 communities to show Australia we’ve all got what it takes to ask R U OK? and support those struggling with life.

Here are some highlights from that journey:

New R U OK? regional and remote campaign:

There’s are plenty of positive aspects about living and working outside Australia’s larger towns and cities, but it also has its unique challenges. Fewer services, natural disasters, isolation and loneliness are just some of the things that can be harder to deal with in rural communities. There can also be a ‘toughen up’ culture where it’s not always easy to talk about the things that keep us awake at night, or give us the confidence to ask a mate if everything is ok. To help address this, R U OK? developed new resources to encourage conversations in regional and remote Australia. These include:

·The Mateship Manual , a practical guide on how to help someone who’s doing it tough

·New community service television commercials designed to encourage people to trust their gut instinct and ask the question


Primary school video:

Something we're never too young to learn is that asking, "are you ok?" can make a difference - and it's a message R U OK? took into primary school classrooms in 2017 via a music video. The video encourages children from Kindergarten through to Year 6, to comfort their friends when they’re feeling a bit sad or doing it tough.

Watch it now:


New workplace campaign:

R U OK? developed a new workplace campaign to encourage people to trust their gut instinct and start a conversation with a colleague they’re worried about. Many of us spend a lot of time at work and can be well positioned to notice if one of our colleagues isn’t quite themselves. The new resources encourage workmates to reach out and support their peers.

Download them here.


The One Million Challenge:

Quentin our quirky question mark travelled across the country issuing over 13,000 conversation challenges designed to get Australians reconnecting with their loved ones in the hope of starting one million conversations.


See highlights from the journey here.


Rail R U OK?Day:

In partnership with TrackSAFE, we celebrated the third and biggest Rail R U OK?Day, reaching a massive 14,000 rail employees. This is an increased reach of 75 per cent since the inaugural Rail R U OK?Day in 2015. The initiative even went international, with New Zealand embracing the campaign for the first time.


Find out more here.

New partnerships:

We welcomed our new Principal partner, The Liptember Foundation, and support from:

·The Flight Centre Foundation

·Connor Menswear

·The Audi Foundation

·The Lendlease Foundation

·and a number of trusts and foundations.


R U OK? is also extremely grateful for our longer term partners, including:


·The Australian Government

·Hungry Jack’s

·Virgin Mobile

·Sensis

The support of these organisations, and all our financial supporters and partners, allow us to reach more Australians and take the message further.

New Ambassadors:

We welcomed a number of new Ambassadors lending their voices and experience in support of R U OK?, including:


·Commando Steve Willis

·Casey Donovan

·Dan Conn

·Annalise Braakensiek

·and many more.

We’re so grateful to our Ambassadors who give their time freely and enable us to show more Australians how to initiate life-changing conversations.


New social channels:

We focussed on reaching new audiences on different social platforms, launching:

-Snapchat videos and a national filter. The filter had over 204,000 uses making it one of the best ever performing filters in Australia.

-Ambassador Bianca Dye and our Conversation Think Tank chair Kamal Sarma launched our ‘Thanks for Asking’ podcast.

-Our new Facebook messenger Chatbot ALEC provided a more interactive way of learning the four steps to asking R U OK?

Australian Story feature:

On Monday 4 September, Australian Story aired ‘Beyond OK’ showing how six years after R U OK? Founder Gavin Larkin's death, those involved with R U OK? are still guided by his memory and legacy, moving forward.

Increased community support:

More community events and physical challenges than ever before helped spread the message in a meaningful way. The financial support of our donors and fundraisers will allow R U OK? to develop new campaigns and resources in 2018.


Renewed focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities:

Suicide is one of the most common causes of death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This prompted R U OK? to renew our focus on increasing peer-to-peer support and meaningful connections within this community. In 2017 we participated for the third year in the Garma Festival’s Youth Forum and developed a solid media partnership with NITV/SBS.


Renewed focus on the LGBTQI community:

Australia’s LGBTQI community has suicide rates well above the national average. In 2017 R U OK? focussed on encouraging the community to check in with friends and family who may be struggling. R U OK? participated in Mardi Gras with its first float, we teamed up with Federation Square for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia and shared real stories, like Craigs. Our work saw us nominated for an Australian LGBTI Award.


People are often surprised that R U OK? only has 8 staff members. With such a small team, much of our capacity to succeed can be attributed to the goodwill of our partners, supporters and community.


Everything we are able to achieve is strengthened by significant generosity and support.

Importantly, R U OK?’s capacity to develop campaigns and resources that are effective, safe and empowering, owes much to our evaluation work with Colmar Brunton and the incredible expertise we receive from our Scientific Advisory Group, Conversation Think Tank and our Creative Hub. Thank you to these individuals who volunteer their time and add substance, depth and credibility to R U OK?’s work.

We would also like to thank R U OK?’s Board for their support and guidance.


2018 is a significant milestone for our organisation and 13 September will be the 10th R U OK?Day. We look forward to a year where we will continue to inspire more Australians to have genuine life-changing conversations and move closer to our vision of a world where everyone is connected and protected from suicide.

Here’s to smashing that goal!

Caring for yourself and others following traumatic events

14 December 2025
The recent incident in Sydney has left many feeling distressed and overwhelmed, and you may notice the children in your life are struggling too. Below, you’ll find advice from mental health experts on caring for your own wellbeing, and providing meaningful support to others in the days and weeks ahead. Talking to children about traumatic events Children are likely to have seen and heard distressing information about this incident. Ongoing news coverage, images and discussion can intensify feelings of anxiety, sadness and anger. The Child Mind Institute has published a practical guide to help parents and carers talk with children about traumatic events. The guide offers practical age-specific advice and has been developed by experts in child psychology, you can access this guide here . Events involving violence or serious harm can be especially difficult for children to understand or discuss. The guide focuses on helping children feel safe, supported and reassured, and encourages parents, carers or guardians to: Provide comfort and reassurance, including physical affection Remain calm and measured when discussing the event Maintain regular routines to restore a sense of normality Encourage play, connection and time with others Share honest, age-appropriate information from trusted sources Limit children’s exposure to news, especially younger children Listen patiently and validate children’s feelings Recognise that fear, anger, sadness or guilt are all normal reactions Looking after yourself, and supporting others Rachel Clements, R U OK? Advisor, and Director of Psychological Services at Centre for Corporate Health, said strong emotional reactions are normal and healthy for people of all ages following public acts of violence, even among those not directly impacted. “Some reactions that are incredibly normal are concern, shock, horror, disbelief. When that wears off sometimes, people experience stronger feelings, sometimes anger, despair, sadness, anxiety or fear-based behaviour."  Ms Clements advised that connecting with friends, sporting clubs, or workplace networks, and simply asking ‘are you OK?’, can play a key role in supporting people experiencing distress. "This event will disrupt the nervous system. One of the most important things we can do is stay connected, talk to each other and lean into supportive conversations,” Ms Clements said. She suggested starting a genuine conversation by asking questions such as: 'it's been tough watching this information coming to light, how are you feeling about it?’ “Then, all you’ve got to do is listen with empathy, without judgment or interruption, and just allow someone to talk about their experience and how they are feeling. When it is the right time in the conversation, you can then gently guide someone towards supportive actions, like doing some gentle exercise, staying connected with friends and family, or maintaining regular routines.” Ms Clements emphasised the importance of checking in again to ensure people have continued support. If you notice someone’s distress is ongoing for several weeks and begins to affect their work or social life, professional help should be encouraged. If you or the children in your care are experiencing ongoing distress, consider speaking with a doctor or another trusted healthcare provider. Free and professional 24/7counselling services are available, find contact details here . If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 000. Ask R U OK? Any Day.

2025 with R U OK?

11 December 2025
This year, Australians continued to grow their confidence and capability to ask, 'are you OK?' any day of the year - reminding us how real connection and meaningful conversations can happen in the most ordinary, everyday moments. Across every age and stage of life, people helped normalise these important check-ins by looking out for one another, reducing stigma, and driving genuine change. Thanks to our supporters, awareness continues to expand in schools, workplaces, sporting clubs, and communities in every corner of Australia. Thank you to everyone who started conversations, and to everyone who supported the mission and work of R U OK?. Below is a short video which shares a glimpse of the activity made possible through collaboration. *Voice-over by former-CEO, Katherine Newton.

Connecting generations through conversation and storytelling

10 December 2025
From growing up on farms to a shared interest in history, Australians, young and old, are discovering just how much they have in common, and how storytelling can connect generations in unexpected ways. What’s bringing them together is 'Heart and Soul Story', a social enterprise that fosters intergenerational connections. Through its programs, young people and older generations come together in aged care homes and schools to share stories, build life skills, and prevent loneliness. At a recent session which encouraged everyone to Ask R U OK? Any Day, students visited an aged-care community with R U OK? Conversation Bingo cards, which feature prompts to spark humour, curiosity, and connection.
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