How You Can Create A Reconciliation Action Plan

How You Can Create A Reconciliation Action Plan

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 variety of Australians to rethink the problems affecting Indigenous communities.

The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the rest 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 together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.

For organisations that feel the urgency act there may be 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 purpose 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 mirror the place organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They are: Mirror, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Every has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For example, the Innovate degree is for organisations that already understand the place they'll 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 crew at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which degree you will start at," says Anthony. "The RAP group will ship you a template that may define what you need to do. There are some primary compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia equivalent to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and increasing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s concerning the modifications you may make."

Because a variety of organisations will start at the Mirror stage, this guide will outline the pillars it is advisable establish to start your reconciliation journey.

Research
This is the place it all begins.


It may well help to look into why RAPs are so vital as well as the current points facing Indigenous people. Reports equivalent to Shut the Gap can provide context to your RAP and may assist you with the next step.

Safe support
A part of a successful RAP is establishing support for reconciliation initiatives throughout your complete organisation. In most cases this needs to start at the top.

"Most often I find that if persons are presented with the facts, they beautiful quickly get on board with wanting 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 altering 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 circulation-on effect. It makes workers 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 creating 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 next step is to form a working group that may oversee your entire RAP process. This group will must 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 will need to consist of members who have some actual energy to make changes within the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and culture perspective.

Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll need involvement from members who work with clients or purchasers, so that people outside your organisation understand you are trying to make a difference.

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