Reconciliation Action Plans are about taking good intent and turning it into action.
The Black Lives Matter protests that have erupted throughout the globe have caused quite a lot of Australians to rethink the problems affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the remainder of the population are well known, however the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian government unveiled new Shut the Gap targets including reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that really feel the urgency act there is one apparent solution – a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
In 2006, Reconciliation Australia introduced RAPs as a way for organisations to include strategic reconciliation initiatives as a part of their business plans. The aim of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities on your organisation to actively assist and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that will evolve as you and your organisation start to take action.
RAPs are broken down into 4 maturity ranges that replicate the place organisations are of their reconciliation journey. They’re: Replicate, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Every has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For instance, the Innovate level is for organisations that already understand the place they can improve on Indigenous points and have begun taking motion to actively address them.
The first step for all organisations is to determine its maturity level. “Contact the RAP crew at Reconciliation Australia and find out which stage you’ll start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP crew will ship you a template that will outline what it is advisable do. There are some basic compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia reminiscent of celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and growing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the changes you can make.”
Because loads of organisations will start on the Mirror stage, this guide will outline the pillars it’s essential to set up to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It may help to look into why RAPs are so necessary as well as the current points facing Indigenous people. Reports comparable to Close the Hole can provide context to your RAP and might assist you with the following step.
Secure support
Part of a successful RAP is establishing assist for reconciliation initiatives across the complete organisation. In most cases this must start at the top.
“Most often I discover that if individuals are presented with the facts, they stunning quickly get on board with desirous to be part of the reconciliation movement,”
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons are three per cent of the population. They will’t do the heavy lifting by way of change and infrastructure change, societal change, or changing 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 points, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a move-on effect. It makes employees more engaged with their community they usually usually choose to donate to, or volunteer with, Indigenous organisations as a result.
A RAP additionally 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 will oversee your entire RAP process. This group will have to be made up of various representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is in control of planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to consist of members who have some actual energy to make modifications within the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and culture perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really profitable, you’ll need involvement from members who work with prospects or purchasers, so that folks outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.
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