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 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 authorities unveiled new Shut the Hole targets together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that really feel the urgency act there may be 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 aim of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities to your organisation to actively support 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 levels that reflect 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 where they’ll 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 find out which level you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP team will send you a template that may define what it’s essential to do. There are some fundamental obligatory actions required by Reconciliation Australia akin to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the changes you’ll be able to make.”
Because plenty of organisations will start at the Replicate stage, this guide will define the pillars it is advisable set up to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is the place it all begins.
It could actually help to look into why RAPs are so vital as well as the current issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports similar to Shut the Gap can provide context to your RAP and would possibly help you with the next step.
Safe help
Part of a successful RAP is establishing support for reconciliation initiatives throughout all the organisation. In most cases this needs to start at the top.
“Most frequently I find that if persons are introduced with the information, 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’ll’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 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 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 environment, 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 type a working group that may oversee all the RAP process. This group will have to be made up of assorted representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is in charge of planning and implementing the RAP, so it might want to include members who’ve some precise energy to make changes within the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and culture perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really profitable, you’ll want involvement from members who work with prospects or shoppers, so that individuals outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.