The right way 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 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 Close the Gap targets together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.

For organisations that really feel the urgency act there is 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 enterprise plans. The intention of a RAP is to create significant opportunities in your organisation to actively help and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that can evolve as you and your organisation begin to take action.

RAPs are broken down into 4 maturity levels that reflect where organisations are of their reconciliation journey. They are: 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 the place 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 staff at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which level you'll start at," says Anthony. "The RAP group will ship you a template that may outline what it is advisable do. There are some fundamental compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia comparable to celebrating national Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the changes you can make."

Because lots of organisations will start on the Reflect stage, this guide will define the pillars it is advisable to establish to start your reconciliation journey.

Research

This is the place it all begins.

It can assist to look into why RAPs are so important as well as the current points dealing with Indigenous people. Reports equivalent to Shut the Hole can provide context to your RAP and may show you how to with the subsequent step.

Secure help

A part of a profitable RAP is establishing support for reconciliation initiatives across the entire organisation. In most cases this must start on the top.

"Most often I discover that if people are presented with the details, they stunning quickly get on board with desirous to be 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 by way 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 issues, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a flow-on effect. It makes workers more engaged with their community and so they typically select 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 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 form a working group that may oversee all the RAP process. This group will should be made up of varied representatives from all sectors of your organisation.

The group is answerable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to encompass members who've some actual energy to make adjustments within the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and tradition perspective.

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

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