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 numerous Australians to rethink the problems affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the population are well known, however the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian authorities unveiled new Close the Gap 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 introduced 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 meaningful opportunities for 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 mirror the place organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They are: Mirror, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Each has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For example, the Innovate degree is for organisations that already understand the place they’ll improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking action to actively address them.
Step one for all organisations is to find out its maturity level. “Contact the RAP group 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 it is advisable do. There are some primary compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia corresponding to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and growing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s concerning the modifications you’ll be able to make.”
Because a whole lot of organisations will start at the Mirror stage, this guide will outline the pillars you could set up to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It could help to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the current points going through Indigenous people. Reports akin to Close the Gap can provide context to your RAP and may allow you to with the following step.
Safe support
Part of a successful RAP is establishing help for reconciliation initiatives across your complete organisation. In most cases this must start at the top.
“Most frequently I discover that if individuals are offered with the info, they pretty 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 can’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 circulation-on effect. It makes employees more engaged with their community and so they 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 setting, 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 can oversee the complete RAP process. This group will should 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 might want to consist of members who’ve some actual energy to make adjustments in 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 shoppers, so that individuals outside your organisation understand you are trying to make a difference.
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