Time to ask men, R U OK?
R U OK? Day 2022 takes place on Thursday 8 September and it’s a great opportunity to reach out to the men in our lives and ask ‘are you okay?’
The theme for this year’s R U OK? Day is “no qualifications needed”, which is a reminder that you don’t have to be a mental health professional to start a meaningful conversation with someone.
R U OK? has some great resources, some of which are particularly helpful for people concerned about men’s mental health and male suicide prevention.
Whether you want to reach out to a man in your life or host an R U OK? event for men in your workplace or community, RU OK?'s free resources can be used year-round.
While R U OK? is focused on everyone’s mental health, here we highlight some of the RU OK? resources that are particularly useful when engaging with men.
Helping Sporting Men
We know that sports clubs can be great places to connect with men. Whether you're a member of a sporting club, play socially or participate in community events, R U OK? has free resources the whole sporting community can use to help you reach out to men. These include a practical guide for coaches and information on building an R U OK? culture for sporting communities.
See the Hey Sport, RU OK? resources
Helping Men at Work
Workplaces can be a great setting to connect with men. Whether you want to host a work event for R U OK? Day, or take on building an R U OK? culture at work, R U OK? has a range of resources. These include workplace presentations; a guide to asking 'are you okay?' at work and the R U OK? Workplace Champions Guide, which can help you promote peer-to-peer support and regular meaningful conversations amongst colleagues in the workplace.
See RU OK?’s resources for workplaces
Helping Rural Men
If you want to connect with Rural and Remote men, then the R U OK? Mateship Manual provides guidance and tips to help you support mates and loved ones who are doing it tough. Rural men often face 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 okay. That’s why the Mateship Manual has been developed to help those living in rural and remote areas to ask ‘are you okay?’.
Helping Indigenous Men
Stronger Together is an R U OK? suicide prevention resource designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The key message of Stronger Together is that if you know an Aboriginal man who's doing it tough, reach out and "ask your mob, in your way, R U OK?"
See RU OK?s Strong Together resources
Helping LGBTIQ+ People
If you're concerned with males within lesbian, gay, bi, trans/transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) communities or those who are sexually, gender and bodily diverse, R U OK? has some great resources. LGBTIQ+ people are more likely to experience depression and anxiety and be at risk of self-harm and suicide. An R U OK? conversation can make a difference when someone is struggling and you don’t have to be an expert to show you genuinely care.
See R U OK?’s LGBTIQ+ resources
R U OK?'s national day of action takes place on Thursday 8 September with the aim of reminding Australians that every day is the day to ask, ‘are you OK?’ and start a meaningful conversation whenever they spot the signs that someone they care about might be struggling with life.
R U OK? CEO, Katherine Newton is hosting a free online presentation at 12 noon (AEST) on September 8. You can register here to tune in to this virtual event with Katherine and special guests and to to hear conversation tips and personal stories.