Reconciliation Action Plans are about taking good intent and turning it into action.
The Black Lives Matter protests which have erupted throughout the globe have caused a variety of Australians to rethink the issues affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the population are well known, but the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian government unveiled new Shut the Hole targets including reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that really feel the urgency act there is one obvious solution – a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
In 2006, Reconciliation Australia launched RAPs as a way for organisations to incorporate strategic reconciliation initiatives as part of their business plans. The purpose of a RAP is to create significant opportunities on your organisation to actively assist and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that may evolve as you and your organisation begin to take action.
RAPs are broken down into 4 maturity ranges that mirror where organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They are: Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Every has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For example, the Innovate level is for organisations that already understand where they’ll improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking motion to actively address them.
The first step for all organisations is to find out its maturity level. “Contact the RAP staff at Reconciliation Australia and find out which degree you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP staff will ship you a template that can define what it’s essential to do. There are some basic compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia such as celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the adjustments you possibly can make.”
Because loads of organisations will start at the Reflect stage, this guide will define the pillars it’s essential establish to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is the place it all begins.
It could help to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the present points facing Indigenous people. Reports corresponding to Close the Hole can provide context to your RAP and would possibly provide help to with the following step.
Secure help
A part of a successful RAP is establishing support for reconciliation initiatives throughout the complete organisation. In most cases this needs to start at the top.
“Most frequently I find that if individuals are offered with the details, they stunning quickly get on board with eager to be part of the reconciliation movement,”
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals are three per cent of the population. They’ll’t do the heavy lifting in terms of change and infrastructure change, societal change, or changing attitudes.
“RAPs are a way of stepping in and making meaningful change.”
Over 1,000 organisations have formalised RAPs, and their implementation has had a real impact on improving employee understanding of Indigenous points, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a flow-on effect. It makes staff more engaged with their community and so they usually select to donate to, or volunteer with, Indigenous organisations as a result.
A RAP also solidifies your organisation’s commitment to creating a culturally safe work environment, which expands your recruiting pool by making your workplace a more attractive employer to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander employees.
Establish a working group
The following step is to type a working group that can oversee your entire RAP process. This group will must be made up of assorted representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is in command of planning and implementing the RAP, so it might want to encompass members who’ve some precise power to make modifications within the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and culture perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really profitable, you’ll need involvement from members who work with clients or purchasers, so that people outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.
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