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 variety of Australians to rethink the problems affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the inhabitants are well known, but the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian government unveiled new Close the Hole targets together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that feel the urgency act there’s one obvious solution – a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
In 2006, Reconciliation Australia launched RAPs as a way for organisations to include strategic reconciliation initiatives as a part of their business plans. The purpose of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities in your organisation to actively help and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that will evolve as you and your organisation begin to take action.
RAPs are broken down into 4 maturity ranges that mirror 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 stage is for organisations that already understand the place they’ll improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking motion to actively address them.
Step one for all organisations is to determine its maturity level. “Contact the RAP group at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which level you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP team will ship you a template that will define what it is advisable to do. There are some fundamental obligatory actions required by Reconciliation Australia equivalent to celebrating national 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 numerous organisations will start at the Replicate stage, this guide will outline the pillars you must establish to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It may help to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the current issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports similar to Shut the Gap can provide context to your RAP and may assist you with the subsequent step.
Secure support
A part of a successful RAP is establishing assist for reconciliation initiatives throughout all the organisation. In most cases this must start at the top.
“Most frequently I discover that if people are presented with the details, they pretty quickly get on board with wanting 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 when it comes to 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 worker 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 additionally solidifies your organisation’s commitment to making a culturally safe work setting, 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 next step is to form a working group that can oversee all the RAP process. This group will have to be made up of various representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is in command of planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to include members who’ve some precise energy to make modifications within the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and tradition perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll want involvement from members who work with clients or clients, so that individuals outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.
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