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 rest of the population are well known, however the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian authorities unveiled new Shut the Hole targets together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that feel the urgency act there’s 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 aim of a RAP is to create significant opportunities for 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 levels that reflect where 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 the place they will improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking action to actively address them.
Step one for all organisations is to find out its maturity level. “Contact the RAP workforce at Reconciliation Australia and find out which degree you will start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP staff will send you a template that will outline what it’s essential to do. There are some basic compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia such as celebrating national Reconciliation Day and growing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s in regards to the changes you can make.”
Because a lot of organisations will start on the Mirror stage, this guide will outline the pillars you want 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 current issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports comparable to Close the Gap can provide context to your RAP and might show you how to with the next step.
Safe support
Part of a profitable RAP is establishing support for reconciliation initiatives throughout the entire organisation. In most cases this must start on the top.
“Most frequently I discover that if people 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 persons are three per cent of the population. They can’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 issues, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a stream-on effect. It makes employees more engaged with their community and so they often choose to donate to, or volunteer with, Indigenous organisations as a result.
A RAP also solidifies your organisation’s commitment to creating 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 kind a working group that can oversee the complete RAP process. This group will need 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 have some actual energy to make adjustments in the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and culture perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really profitable, you’ll need involvement from members who work with customers or shoppers, so that folks outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.
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