Reconciliation Action Plans are about taking good intent and turning it into action.
The Black Lives Matter protests that have erupted across the globe have caused a whole lot of Australians to rethink the issues affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the remainder of the population are well known, but the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian government unveiled new Close the Gap targets together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that really feel the urgency act there may be one apparent solution – a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
In 2006, Reconciliation Australia introduced RAPs as a way for organisations to incorporate strategic reconciliation initiatives as a part of their business plans. The goal of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities in your organisation to actively support and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that can evolve as you and your organisation begin to take action.
RAPs are broken down into four maturity ranges that reflect where organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They’re: Mirror, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Every has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For example, the Innovate degree is for organisations that already understand the place they can improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking motion to actively address them.
Step one for all organisations is to find out its maturity level. “Contact the RAP team at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which degree you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP team will send you a template that may outline what you must do. There are some fundamental obligatory actions required by Reconciliation Australia corresponding to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s concerning the adjustments you’ll be able to make.”
Because plenty of organisations will start on the Reflect stage, this guide will define the pillars you should establish to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It could possibly help to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the present issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports similar to Shut the Gap can provide context to your RAP and may help you with the next step.
Secure assist
Part of a profitable RAP is establishing help for reconciliation initiatives throughout the complete organisation. In most cases this must start on the top.
“Most frequently I find that if individuals are introduced with the facts, they stunning quickly get on board with eager to be part of the reconciliation movement,”
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three per cent of the population. They’ll’t do the heavy lifting by way of change and infrastructure change, societal change, or altering attitudes.
“RAPs are a way of stepping in and making significant change.”
Over 1,000 organisations have formalised RAPs, and their implementation has had a real impact on improving employee understanding of Indigenous issues, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a movement-on effect. It makes workers more engaged with their community and they often choose to donate to, or volunteer with, Indigenous organisations as a result.
A RAP additionally solidifies your organisation’s commitment to making a culturally safe work atmosphere, which expands your recruiting pool by making your workplace a more attractive employer to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander employees.
Set up a working group
The following step is to form a working group that can oversee the whole RAP process. This group will must be made up of varied representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is accountable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to include members who’ve some actual energy to make changes within the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and culture perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll want involvement from members who work with prospects or shoppers, so that people outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.
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