Learn how to create a Reconciliation Action Plan

Reconciliation Action Plans are about taking good intent and turning it into action.

The Black Lives Matter protests which have erupted throughout the globe have caused a lot of Australians to rethink the issues affecting Indigenous communities.

The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the remainder of the population are well known, but the protests created new urgency to do something about them.

In July, the Australian authorities unveiled new Shut the Gap targets including 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 part of their enterprise plans. The intention of a RAP is to create significant opportunities to your organisation to actively help and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that will evolve as you and your organisation begin to take action.

RAPs are broken down into 4 maturity levels that reflect 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 degree is for organisations that already understand the place they will improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking motion to actively address them.

The first step for all organisations is to determine its maturity level. "Contact the RAP crew at Reconciliation Australia and find out which degree you will start at," says Anthony. "The RAP crew will ship you a template that may outline what it's good to do. There are some primary compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia such as celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and growing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the adjustments you possibly can make."

Because loads of organisations will start at the Replicate stage, this guide will outline the pillars you need to establish to start your reconciliation journey.

Research

This is the place it all begins.

It may possibly help to look into why RAPs are so vital as well as the present issues going through Indigenous people. Reports akin to Close the Hole can provide context to your RAP and may make it easier to with the next step.

Secure help

Part of a successful RAP is establishing support for reconciliation initiatives across your entire organisation. In most cases this needs to start at the top.

"Most frequently I discover that if individuals are offered with the info, they pretty quickly get on board with eager to be part of the reconciliation movement,"

"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons 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 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 they usually 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 surroundings, 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 next step is to kind a working group that can oversee all the RAP process. This group will should be made up of various representatives from all sectors of your organisation.

The group is accountable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to encompass members who've some actual power to make changes within the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and tradition perspective.

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