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 a whole lot of Australians to rethink the issues affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the population 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 together with 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 incorporate strategic reconciliation initiatives as part of their enterprise plans. The goal of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities for your organisation to actively assist 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 ranges that reflect where organisations are of their reconciliation journey. They are: Reflect, 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 points and have begun taking action to actively address them.
The first step for all organisations is to find out its maturity level. “Contact the RAP workforce at Reconciliation Australia and find out which level you’ll start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP team will send you a template that may outline what you need to do. There are some fundamental compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia comparable to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and growing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s concerning the modifications you possibly can make.”
Because quite a lot of organisations will start at the Replicate stage, this guide will outline the pillars it is advisable to establish to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It will possibly assist to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the present issues facing Indigenous people. Reports equivalent to Close the Hole can provide context to your RAP and might aid you with the next step.
Secure help
A 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 discover that if individuals are introduced with the information, they beautiful 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’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 employee understanding of Indigenous issues, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a flow-on effect. It makes staff 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 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 subsequent step is to kind a working group that can oversee your entire RAP process. This group will must be made up of assorted 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 actual power to make adjustments in the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and tradition perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really profitable, you’ll want involvement from members who work with prospects or purchasers, so that folks outside your organisation understand you are trying to make a difference.
