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R U OK? has taken an important step towards promoting connection and support for seniors by releasing videos and resources in five different languages. Recognising the diverse needs of seniors in the community, these co-created resources are available in Arabic, Greek, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese. The co-creation of these materials involved consultation with community representatives to ensure their cultural relevance and effectiveness.
R U OK? is a public health promotion charity dedicated to promoting conversations and connections that can provide support during challenging times. Their main focus is on empowering individuals to become effective help-givers, capable of having meaningful conversations with those facing difficulties in life. By encouraging people to invest time in their personal relationships and strengthening informal support networks, such as friends, family, and colleagues, R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention efforts. The organisation aims to raise awareness about the importance of being alert to signs of distress, engaging in conversations, and connecting individuals to appropriate support well before they reach a crisis point, by simply asking R U OK?
Translating the R U OK? campaign for seniors posed a challenge in effectively communicating its message while considering the cultural sensitivities and unique experiences of the senior community. It required finding a balance between maintaining the campaign's intent and tailoring the message to resonate with seniors, using relatable and easily understandable language. As we discovered that the majority of participants stated that it is “Not really common” to check in on the mental health of others by asking “Are you OK?” in their culture. Additionally, cultural nuances and varying attitudes towards mental health must be navigated to avoid stigmatisation or offense. The challenge also includes adapting translations to different mediums to reach seniors with limited technology access.
Through our co-creation process, we were able to include our findings from the community consultations and work together with our members to design and distribute these resources in a variety of mediums. Overall, audio-visual formats are by far the most preferred format and were selected by participants across all language groups. This helped tailor the campaign approach and ensure that the message from R U OK? will effectively reach these community members.
For each language, our team of professional multilingual typesetters worked to craft a solution that would be suitable and impactful for their unique audiences. These digital assets have since been distributed to key stakeholders and shared through community networks. We're proud to have assisted R U OK? in sharing this encouraging message for all multicultural communities.
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