R U OK? Day at Santa Maria College
Our Mental Health Ambassadors donned their yellow shirts and ribbons today for RU OK? Day. They are leading the way, encouraging conversations that can make a difference.
We caught up with Laura Agostino, one of the coordinators of our Mental Health Ambassadors group, to hear more about how students planned and ran this year’s activities.
How did the Mental Health Ambassadors plan for RU OK? Day this year?
“Our students brainstormed as a group, with the aim of raising awareness and ensuring the whole school could get involved. This included creating a video, designing a mural activity where everyone could contribute, and encouraging students to support one another.”
What is this year’s theme?
“The national RU OK? Day theme is ‘the power of a simple question’. At Santa Maria, we extended this with our own focus of ‘every hand helps’. This was about offering help, learning strategies to check in on others, and encouraging a group effort to start conversations.”
Student Video Project
The biggest project this year was a student-led video created by our Mental Health Ambassadors. The video shared powerful reminders about the importance of checking in, listening with empathy, and connecting others to support before they reach a crisis point.
The students explained that you don’t need to be an expert to ask someone “Are you OK?”. What matters most is showing genuine care and being prepared to listen. They shared practical tips for starting conversations, seeking help from deans, teachers, or counsellors, and highlighted resources such as Beyond Blue, Lifeline, Headspace, and Kids Helpline.
The video finished with a simple but powerful message: every day is the right day to ask someone how they are going.
What activities were on offer?
Students had the option to take part in a homeroom activity creating an ‘every hand helps’ mural. At lunchtime, a variety of activities brought the community together, including:
- Friendship bracelet making
- An affirmations jar
- A free resources stand
- Mindful colouring
Can you tell us about the Yellow Hand Pledge activity?
“This activity was centred on the theme ‘lend a hand’. Each homeroom was given a small yellow hand cut-out and asked to respond to the prompt: ‘I will check in on those around me by…’.
Our Mental Health Ambassadors collected these pledges and will display them together as a visual reminder that every hand helps when it comes to supporting others.”
From Poppy, our Wellbeing Captain
“Sometimes it’s the small things – a smile, a quick chat, or asking RU OK? – that make the biggest difference. This day encourages us all to look out for each other and be brave enough to start the conversation.”
- CommunityEngagement, Featured, HolisticEducation, MentalHealthinSchools, RUOK?Day, SantaMariaCollege, StudentLeadership, studentwellbeing, WellbeingInitiatives, YouthMentalHealth
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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