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 quite a lot of Australians to rethink the problems affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the inhabitants are well known, however the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian government unveiled new Shut the Hole targets including reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that feel the urgency act there is one apparent solution – a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
In 2006, Reconciliation Australia introduced RAPs as a way for organisations to incorporate strategic reconciliation initiatives as part of their business plans. The purpose of a RAP is to create meaningful 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 the place 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 degree is for organisations that already understand where they can improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking motion 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 degree you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP workforce will ship you a template that can outline what it is advisable do. There are some basic compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia resembling celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s in regards to the changes you can make.”
Because quite a lot of organisations will start at the Reflect stage, this guide will define the pillars you must set up to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It might probably help to look into why RAPs are so necessary as well as the current points dealing with Indigenous people. Reports resembling Shut the Gap can provide context to your RAP and would possibly assist you to with the next step.
Safe support
Part of a profitable RAP is establishing help for reconciliation initiatives throughout the whole organisation. In most cases this needs to start at the top.
“Most often I find that if persons are introduced with the information, they pretty quickly get on board with desirous to be a part of the reconciliation movement,”
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals are three per cent of the population. They will’t do the heavy lifting in terms 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 points, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a movement-on effect. It makes workers more engaged with their community they usually usually select 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 atmosphere, 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 following step is to form a working group that will oversee your complete RAP process. This group will need to be made up of varied representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is answerable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it might want to include members who’ve some precise 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 need involvement from members who work with clients or purchasers, so that folks outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.
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