Reconciliation Action Plans are about taking good intent and turning it into action.
The Black Lives Matter protests which have erupted across the globe have caused 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 authorities unveiled new Shut the Gap targets together with 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 include strategic reconciliation initiatives as part of their business plans. The intention of a RAP is to create significant opportunities for your organisation to actively help and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that can evolve as you and your organisation start to take action.
RAPs are broken down into 4 maturity levels that replicate where organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They are: 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 where they will improve on Indigenous points and have begun taking action 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 discover out which level you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP staff will send you a template that can define what you want to do. There are some primary compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia akin to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and increasing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s in regards to the changes you can make.”
Because lots of organisations will start on the Replicate stage, this guide will outline the pillars you could establish to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It could assist to look into why RAPs are so vital as well as the present issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports similar to Close the Gap can provide context to your RAP and might enable you to with the following step.
Secure help
Part of a successful RAP is establishing support for reconciliation initiatives across the entire organisation. In most cases this needs to start at the top.
“Most frequently I discover that if persons are introduced with the info, they beautiful 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 can’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 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 circulate-on effect. It makes staff more engaged with their community and so they typically 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 surroundings, 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 next step is to type a working group that may oversee the entire RAP process. This group will should 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 will need to encompass members who’ve some precise power to make adjustments in the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and culture perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll want involvement from members who work with prospects or clients, so that folks outside your organisation understand you are trying to make a difference.