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 loads 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, but the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian authorities unveiled new Close the Gap targets together with 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 a part of their business plans. The aim of a RAP is to create significant opportunities for your organisation to actively help 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 mirror where organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They’re: Replicate, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Each has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For instance, the Innovate stage is for organisations that already understand where they will 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 workforce at Reconciliation Australia and find out which level you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP staff will send you a template that may define what you should do. There are some basic compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia corresponding to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and increasing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s in regards to the changes you possibly can make.”
Because a number of organisations will start at the Reflect stage, this guide will define the pillars it is advisable to establish to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It may assist to look into why RAPs are so necessary as well as the current points going through Indigenous people. Reports such as Shut the Hole can provide context to your RAP and may allow you to with the following step.
Secure help
Part of a successful RAP is establishing help for reconciliation initiatives across all the organisation. In most cases this needs to start at the top.
“Most often I find that if individuals are introduced with the information, they pretty 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 can’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 significant change.”
Over 1,000 organisations have formalised RAPs, and their implementation has had a real impact on improving worker 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 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 environment, 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 must be made up of assorted representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is accountable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it might want to consist of members who’ve some actual energy to make modifications in the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and tradition perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll want 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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