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 lots of Australians to rethink the issues 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 including 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 part of their enterprise plans. The aim of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities on 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 ranges that replicate where organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They’re: Mirror, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Each has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For instance, the Innovate stage is for organisations that already understand the place they will improve on Indigenous points and have begun taking motion to actively address them.
The first step for all organisations is to determine its maturity level. “Contact the RAP workforce at Reconciliation Australia and find out which degree you’ll start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP group will send you a template that may outline what it’s worthwhile to do. There are some primary obligatory actions required by Reconciliation Australia similar to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the modifications you can make.”
Because a number of organisations will start at the Replicate stage, this guide will outline the pillars that you must set up to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is the place it all begins.
It may well help to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the current issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports such as Close the Gap can provide context to your RAP and may assist you with the next step.
Secure support
Part of a successful RAP is establishing assist for reconciliation initiatives across your complete organisation. In most cases this must start on the top.
“Most often I find that if people are presented with the facts, they beautiful quickly get on board with desirous to be part of the reconciliation movement,”
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three per cent of the population. They will’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 employee understanding of Indigenous issues, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a stream-on effect. It makes employees more engaged with their community they usually usually choose 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.
Establish a working group
The next step is to form a working group that may oversee the entire RAP process. This group will should be made up of various representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is in control of planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to encompass members who have some precise energy to make changes in the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and culture perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll need involvement from members who work with prospects or purchasers, so that people outside your organisation understand you are trying to make a difference.
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