A problem shared

There are few questions more straightforward than asking someone how they are going and yet in a world where busy schedules and personal pressures, it’s one that can often slip by unasked.

And rather than just being a pleasantry, that simple question can often carry tremendous weight and make a genuine difference in someone’s life.

It is this idea that sits at the very heart of RU OK?, the Australian not-for-profit working to make meaningful conversations a more natural part of everyday life and literally change and often save lives in the process.

Established as a national suicide prevention initiative, R U OK? encourages people to look beyond the familiar exchanges of daily life and take a genuine interest in the wellbeing of those around them. Its work is built on a simple but important premise that friends, family members, workmates and colleagues are often well placed to notice when something seems wrong or out of place, provided they are willing to pay attention and confident enough to ask.

Indeed it is that emphasis on the role of ordinary people that make RU OK? Distinctive, recognising that a conversation alone is not be enough resolve complex mental health problems, but is the perfect way to set the process in motion. Asking a question is only the beginning, while being prepared to hear an honest answer is what gives it meaning.

The partnership between the Audi Foundation and RU OK? was one of the first after the establishment of the Audi Foundation back in 2017. The idea of providing Audi Q7s in RU OK?’s bright yellow livery was born out of an idea to take the message ‘one the road’ and that first Conversation Convoy with the Q7s became the blueprint for what is now tens of thousands of kilometres of spreading the message around the country to often remote centres where people often feel isolated and services are thin on the ground.

Audi Australia Director and Chairman of the Audi Foundation, Jeff Mannering, joined the Conversation Convoy recently as it toured rural Victoria, seeing first hand how the Conversation Convoy operates and reaches people where they live and work.

“The informal, relaxed approach of the Conversation Convoy let’s people be themselves and promotes the feeling of a friendly, social gathering, which is literally what it is,” says Mannering of his time with RU OK?.

“Being able to reach people in often very remote areas can make a tremendous difference, and brings the chance to relax and talk about what’s going on in their lives rather than them having to actively go and seek out out information or help for themselves,” he says.

“Even in urban centres, the ability to go and talk to people at their place of work, be that an Audi dealership or a military base can be enough to initiate that first step.”

Checking in on another person requires neither specialist knowledge nor elaborate preparation, but their are ways to get the conversation going that RU OK? shares through these relaxed get-togethers. Then it’s simply a matte of having a genuine interest, a little patience and a willingness to remain present if a conversation becomes difficult.

“Unfortunately there is no shortage of pressure or challenges that people face in modern life,” says Mannering, "and where mental health is concerned there’s no simple ‘one size’ fits all approach to treatment. But taking a genuine interest and giving someone the chance to talk about what’s bothering them can be the first step in finding the right way forward for them.”

Indeed, while professional care is indispensable, that initial supportive conversation with someone who knows us can be an important first step towards recognising a problem and finding further help.

As far as the Conversation Convoy is concerned, the sight of the bright yellow Audi Q7s rolling into town is certainly a powerful icebreaker, and attracts plenty of attention which in turn gives RU OK? the chance to provide practical guidance and resources in a relaxed, almost festive environment.

Of course having meaningful conversations is something that should happen regularly in a perfect world, and not be reserved for if things get out of hand. But with modern pressures, it’s often too easy to put things off or even ignore a problem. A bright yellow Q7 on the other hand is pretty hard to ignore – and a problem shared as they say, is a problem halved.