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 lots of Australians to rethink the problems 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 Shut the Gap targets including reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that feel the urgency act there may be 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 part of their business plans. The aim of a RAP is to create significant opportunities to your organisation to actively support 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 mirror the place organisations are of their reconciliation journey. They are: Mirror, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Each has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For instance, the Innovate level is for organisations that already understand where they will improve on Indigenous points and have begun taking motion to actively address them.
Step one for all organisations is to find out its maturity level. “Contact the RAP staff at Reconciliation Australia and find out which level you’ll start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP staff will ship you a template that can outline what that you must do. There are some primary obligatory actions required by Reconciliation Australia reminiscent of celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s in regards to the modifications you’ll be able to make.”
Because loads of organisations will start at the Reflect stage, this guide will define the pillars you could set up to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It will probably assist to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the present points dealing with Indigenous people. Reports resembling Close the Gap can provide context to your RAP and may help you with the next step.
Safe help
A part of a profitable RAP is establishing help for reconciliation initiatives across your entire organisation. In most cases this must start on the top.
“Most frequently I discover that if persons are presented with the details, they pretty quickly get on board with eager 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 significant 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 circulate-on effect. It makes staff more engaged with their community and so they usually choose to donate to, or volunteer with, Indigenous organisations as a result.
A RAP also 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 subsequent step is to type a working group that will oversee the whole RAP process. This group will have to be made up of varied representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is in control of planning and implementing the RAP, so it might want to consist of members who’ve some precise energy to make changes in the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and tradition perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll need involvement from members who work with prospects or shoppers, so that individuals outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.
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