R U OK? DAY

The R U OK? Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging all people to regularly and meaningfully ask 'are you ok?' to support those struggling with life.

R U OK? Day is our national day of action on the second Thursday of September (11 September 2014), and
dedicated to reminding people to regularly check in with family and friends. We also have Resources for You to use throughout the year to help you ask 'are you ok?' regularly of family, friends and colleagues.

The conversations that counted in 2013
In 2013, more than 5 million Australians participated on R U OK? Day - the majority by having a face-to-face
conversation. Of those that participated, 58% strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that participating on R U OK? Day made them more likely to have meaningful conversations.

This is the type of behaviour the R U OK? Foundation wants to inspire. However more can be done to help Australians start a conversation that counts, as this year's evaluation results showed.

Don’t wait till it’s too late

• Only 28% of people would ask a friend to talk about what’s troubling them if they thought they might be troubled but didn’t think it would be serious – therefore we need to remind people that conversations should happen early to stop problems escalating.

Conversations can be hard

• Around 1 in 3 people aren’t sure if they would find it easy or difficult to ask a friend about their well-being, if they were troubled or stressed –therefore we need to help them with explicit instructions.

• A further 21% thought it would be difficult – therefore we need to convince them that anyone can do it and we are here to help them.

Meaningful participation leads to personal, ongoing engagement

• 58% strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that participating on R U OK? Day made them more likely to have meaningful conversations.

Constant reminders are needed 

• 38% of people unlikely to participate on R U OK? Day 2014 said they just haven’t thought about it.

Suicide prevention organisation, the R U OK? Foundation, is challenging Australia to go the distance to ask one another ‘are you ok?’ to reduce suicide in Australia. R U OK? CEO and co-founder, Janina Nearn, says the aim of this campaign is to encourage people to have regular and meaningful conversations. ‘We want to inspire as many people as possible to ask the question. Everyone can ask someone ‘are you ok’ to help make a difference and potentially save a life.’

This article is courtesy of https://www.ruokday.com

 Lifeline is available 24 hours a day Telephone 13 11 14

Protecting your Identity

According to a national survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology,almost one in 10 people experienced misuse of their personal information in the previous 12 months, and one in five people experienced misuse of their personal information at some point in their lives.

5 per cent of people experienced identity crime or misuse resulting in a financial loss in the previous 12 months at an average of $4,101 per incident.These findings indicate that identity crime has become one of the most prevalent crime types affecting Australians.

In South Australia this sort of crime was up by 12% on the previous year which is a worrying trend. OK, so what can we do to safeguard our Identity? 

·    Secure your personal documents at home, when you are traveling and if you need to destroy them.

·    Secure your mailbox with a lock and when you move, redirect your mail.

·    Be cautious about using social media and limit the amount of personal information you publish online.

·    Secure your computer and mobile phone using security software and strong passwords.

·    Learn how to avoid common scams by visiting the SCAMWatch website.

·    Be cautious about requests for your personal information over the internet, phone and in person in case it is a scam.

·    Investigate the arrival of new credit cards you didn’t ask for or bills for goods and services that aren’t yours.

·    Be alert for any unusual bank transactions or missing mail.

·    If you are a victim of identity theft, report it to the police and any relevant organisations.

·    Order a free copy of your credit report from a credit reporting agency on a regular basis, particularly if your identity has been stolen.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said there were 11,600 more credit card deceptions in the 12 months to March 2014 compared with the previous year, and the issue was "chewing up an enormous amount of police resources".