Petting zoo hosted for RUOK? Day
Account from one of the organisers of the event, Joey Man, PhD candidate and President of the NOTDRS PhD student society.
It was furry. It was feathery. And also a little bit scaly. As part of RUOK? Day (Thursday 13 September), the Monash BDI Graduate Student Committee (GSC) hosted a petting zoo just outside the Monash BDI building.
RUOK? Day reminds students and staff to check in on each other’s mental health–not just their research progress. Health and wellbeing ambassador Brendan Wilding and Biochemistry Mental Health Officer Dr Belinda Goldie opened the event with a brief address on the importance of small conversations between peers, which could improve mental wellbeing and prevent suicide.
More than a dozen farmyard animals (including crowd-favourite farm dog ‘Merlot’) helped encourage a stress-relieving afternoon of ‘RUOK?’ conversations between almost 70 bunny-holders and chicken-chasers from the Monash BDI.
This marks the second successful year of the Monash BDI GSC-facilitated RUOK? Day petting zoo. We hope to continue raising awareness of this sensitive yet critically important issue of suicide prevention throughout the year.
Joey Man
Photo credit: Blake Riley.
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Committed to making the discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, the newly established Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally-renowned research teams. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.