The University of Wollongong’s Pulse wellness team will hold an R U OK? Day event on 14 September to spark meaningful conversation about mental health in the community.
R U OK? is a nationally recognised day held on the second Thursday of September each year to encourage discussion about mental health and to support those who might be struggling.
Running from 12:00 – 1:30pm at the Duck Pond Lawn, the UOW event will provide live music, mindfulness activities, resources, and access to local support services.
Student experience assistant and Pulse event leader Sophia Bunt said the event will be a good day for the university community.
“We’ve got a lot of different stalls coming to sort of talk about R U OK? Day and the importance of asking are you okay to your friends and to your family,” Ms Bunt said.
“We’ve got people coming from the student equity division, from WUSA (Wollongong Undergraduate Student Association) … and from our mental health and wellbeing team at UOW.”
Ms Bunt said the event is not exclusive to students and that she encourages everyone to come along.
“It’s definitely open to anyone in the UOW community, I think that the more people we get coming along like staff, students the better because the message of R U OK? Day is definitely applicable to everyone, and I think that the more people that hear that the better,” she said.
The event will offer people the chance to access resources such as handouts and pamphlets, and there will be professionals who attendees can talk to.
Communications and media student Ella Patterson said she thinks it’s great that the university gives students opportunities like this.
“I think it is important for the uni to do as much as they can to demonstrate how important conversations about mental health are to students,” Ella said.
“It’s great because by providing these types of resources it ensure that regardless of students’ financial situations they have access to support.”
The UOW event does not require registration and those who will be on campus are encouraged to show up and take advantage of all the event has to offer.
For more information about R U Ok? Day you can visit https://www.ruok.org.au/.