Reconciliation Action Plans are about taking good intent and turning it into action.
The Black Lives Matter protests that have erupted across the globe have caused a whole lot of Australians to rethink the problems affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the remainder of the population are well known, but the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian government unveiled new Close the Gap targets together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that feel the urgency act there’s 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 a part of their business plans. The aim of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities to your organisation to actively help 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 four maturity ranges that mirror where organisations are of their reconciliation journey. They’re: Replicate, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Every has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For example, the Innovate level is for organisations that already understand the place they can improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking action to actively address them.
Step one for all organisations is to determine its maturity level. “Contact the RAP group at Reconciliation Australia and find out which degree you’ll start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP workforce will ship you a template that may outline what you need to do. There are some fundamental obligatory actions required by Reconciliation Australia corresponding to celebrating national Reconciliation Day and growing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the adjustments you possibly can make.”
Because numerous organisations will start at the Replicate stage, this guide will outline the pillars it’s worthwhile to set up to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is the place it all begins.
It will probably assist to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the current issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports comparable to Close the Gap can provide context to your RAP and might make it easier to with the subsequent step.
Secure help
Part of a profitable RAP is establishing help for reconciliation initiatives across all the organisation. In most cases this must start at the top.
“Most often I discover that if persons are presented with the details, they pretty quickly get on board with wanting to be part of the reconciliation movement,”
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals 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 altering 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 they usually typically 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 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 next step is to kind a working group that may oversee all the RAP process. This group will need to be made up of various representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is accountable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to encompass members who’ve some precise energy to make modifications within the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and culture perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll want involvement from members who work with prospects or purchasers, so that individuals outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.
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