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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 number 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, but the protests created new urgency to do something about them.

In July, the Australian authorities unveiled new Close the Gap targets including 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 launched RAPs as a way for organisations to incorporate strategic reconciliation initiatives as a part of their business plans. The purpose of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities on your organisation to actively help and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that may evolve as you and your organisation begin to take action.

RAPs are broken down into four maturity ranges that reflect where organisations are of their reconciliation journey. They are: Replicate, 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 can 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 staff at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which stage you’ll start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP team will ship you a template that may define what you must do. There are some basic obligatory actions required by Reconciliation Australia reminiscent of celebrating nationwide 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 numerous organisations will start on the Mirror stage, this guide will define the pillars you’ll want to establish to start your reconciliation journey.

Research

This is where it all begins.

It will probably assist to look into why RAPs are so important as well as the present issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports such as Close the Hole can provide context to your RAP and might provide help to with the following step.

Safe help

Part of a successful RAP is establishing assist for reconciliation initiatives across your complete organisation. In most cases this needs to start on the top.

“Most frequently I find that if people are offered with the details, they pretty quickly get on board with wanting to be part of the reconciliation movement,”

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals 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 points, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a flow-on effect. It makes staff more engaged with their community they usually typically select 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.

Set up a working group

The subsequent step is to type a working group that can oversee your complete RAP process. This group will must be made up of assorted representatives from all sectors of your organisation.

The group is in control of planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to encompass members who’ve some precise energy to make modifications in the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and culture perspective.

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

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