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 loads of Australians to rethink the issues affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the remainder of the inhabitants are well known, however the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian government unveiled new Close the Hole targets including reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that really feel the urgency act there may be one apparent 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 significant opportunities on your organisation to actively help 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 levels that mirror where organisations are of their reconciliation journey. They’re: Reflect, 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 will improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking motion to actively address them.
The first step for all organisations is to determine its maturity level. “Contact the RAP staff at Reconciliation Australia and find out which stage you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP workforce will send you a template that can outline what it’s essential do. There are some fundamental compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia equivalent to celebrating national Reconciliation Day and growing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s concerning the adjustments you possibly can make.”
Because lots of organisations will start at the Mirror stage, this guide will define the pillars you should set up to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It will possibly help to look into why RAPs are so necessary as well as the current points facing Indigenous people. Reports akin to Shut the Hole can provide context to your RAP and may make it easier to with the next step.
Secure help
A part of a profitable RAP is establishing assist for reconciliation initiatives throughout the complete organisation. In most cases this needs to start on 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’ll’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 issues, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a move-on effect. It makes employees more engaged with their community and 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 form a working group that will oversee the whole RAP process. This group will should be made up of varied representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is answerable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to consist of members who have some actual power to make adjustments within the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and tradition perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll want involvement from members who work with prospects or clients, so that individuals outside your organisation understand you are trying to make a difference.
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