R U OK? Conversation Convoy unites Broome Community

The R U OK? organisation has permeated the Australian consciousness. Each advertisement, yellow wristband, or slogan iced on office cupcakes is a reminder of the organisation’s core message — to talk to one another earnestly about how we are feeling. However, what many Australians might not know is that the organisation which breeds such positivity is rooted in a tragic, though common, story. Gavin Larkin founded R U OK? in 2009 in response to losing his father to suicide as a teenager. The national campaign aims to shift social prejudice against mental health challenges and carve a space in Australian society for open dialogues on the matter. R U OK? remains vigilant oin spreading its message to every Australian and achieves this through the Conversation Convoy program. The Conversation Convoy, a fleet of buses carrying R U OK? staff and mental health experts, travels to regional towns to hold morning teas which promote community dialogue on wellbeing. The buses were parked at Broome Senior High School last Monday and staff, students and residents enjoyed a sausage sizzle breakfast and took part in games organised by the organisation. Leader of the R U OK? Stronger Together campaign for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Steven Satour, who attended the event, said the breakfast fell under the umbrella of informal community care. R U OK?’s social impact research has found that informal community care is essential to decreasing the negative stigma that can surround mental health issues. “Our research has shown people struggling with mental health would prefer to first speak with a family member or friend, rather than jump straight into a psychology appointment,” Mr Satour said. “So, if communities create open environments to discuss mental health, when someone is going through something they feel they have someone to turn to.” Part of Mr Satour’s role in improving Aboriginal mental health has been bridging connections between elder Indigenous populations and Indigenous youth throughout the Kimberley and Northern Territory. “The elder Indigenous population have experienced so much trauma and they have so much wisdom to offer Indigenous youth,” Mr Satour said. The faces of smiling students and residents alike at Broome’s Conversation Convoy stop served as a poignant reminder for the community to keep asking one another — R U OK?