Four USC campuses are holding events to mark R U OK? Day this Thursday 12 September, while the university also offers a community suicide intervention training session.

Campus activities will include morning tea, lawn games, mindfulness, gratitude exercises, mental health training and more for students, staff and visitors.

The suicide intervention training session will be held at USC’s Sunshine Coast campus and run by the Director of LivingWorks Australia Shayne Connell.

By the end of the week, USC will have achieved its goal to train 100 more people to be suicide-aware through the workshop on R U OK? and World Suicide Prevention days.

R U OK? Day is a national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that any day is the day to ask “are you OK?”.

Thompson Institute Operations Manager Elise Jione said the community could play a big role in suicide prevention by recognising the signs that a person might be considering suicide and being able to connect that person to help.

“We know that 60 percent of people on the Sunshine Coast believe that negative stigma surrounding mental illness prevents people from asking for help,” she said.

“It’s therefore vital that we as friends, family, colleagues, leaders and teammates can recognise that someone close to us is struggling and start a conversation that could change a life.”

USC campus activities for R U OK? Day: