This holiday period, Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling has launched a campaign encouraging all veterans and their family members to square away their mental health and check in with five people in their lives and challenge them to #Check5.

Connect with them, yarn with them and motivate them to act.

The grassroots social media campaign aims to build a network of serving and ex-serving military personnel and families, empowered to support each other over the Christmas and summer holiday period.

The #Check5 campaign builds on a suicide prevention campaign that started in Townsville as a part of Operation Compass’ ‘Check Your Mates’.

The premise of ‘Check5’ is simple: commit on social media to check in with five mates and challenge each of them to check in with five mates.  

The campaign is also supported by resources to assist all of us to feel confident to reach out to our network.

Campaigns like #Check5 remind us of the power we have to improve each other’s wellbeing and of the range of mental health support services that are available, including the vital and complementary role you and your organisation provides.

We are asking everyone connected to the veteran community to:

• Educate themselves: Learn how to connect and have difficult conversations, and
• Take action: Engage your network to provide support over the holiday period, through accepting the challenge to check in with five mates and challenging them to do the same.

For more information and resources, make sure you visit the Open Arms website and be sure to #Check5 this holiday period.

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Thank you to Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling for providing the content for this article and leadership of this important campaign.