TENISON Woods College will turn yellow today in support of annual R U OK? Day.
Preparing for the day over the course of the term, student council members will today initiate a range of events to spread the message that it is “okay not to be okay” and a conversation with a friend could change a life.
Ready to join with other junior and middle school council leaders, Year 9 student Jemima Aungon said she felt very strongly about the cause.
“Depression and anxiety are common issues in young teens, but it can go unnoticed and we want to create more awareness,” she said.
“We hope to help students build confidence to ask their friends if they are okay.
“The activities we have planned are designed to assist students in developing skills in starting conversations with their peers.”
As well as an array of activities for students to take part in there will be food stalls, face painting, lucky dips, soccer shootouts, a scavenger hunt and a yellow photo-booth.
To add to the excitement of the day, a group of Year 11 students will host a disco for junior primary students at lunch time.
Director of wellbeing Jennie Sanderson said she is proud of the level of student involvement in the preparation for the day.
“We are very pleased to support such a strong student initiative across all sectors of our school and we embrace R U OK? Day because we recognise the ongoing importance of promoting mental wellbeing in the community,” she said.
The school’s wellbeing team has been engaged in the R U OK? initiative for the past few years and last month a group of 30 students donned their yellow and showed support at the Conversation
Convoy when it stopped at the Rail Lands in Mount Gambier.
These students will encourage others to start a conversation that could change a life, by following four simple steps; ask are you okay? listen, encourage action and check in with them.
