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 that have erupted throughout the globe have caused lots of Australians to rethink the issues affecting Indigenous communities.
The health, wealth and employment gaps between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the inhabitants are well known, but the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian authorities unveiled new Close the Hole targets including reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that really feel the urgency act there is 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 purpose of a RAP is to create significant opportunities in 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 four maturity levels that replicate where organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They’re: Replicate, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Every has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For instance, the Innovate level is for organisations that already understand where they’ll improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking action to actively address them.
Step one for all organisations is to determine its maturity level. “Contact the RAP staff at Reconciliation Australia and find out which degree you’ll start at,” says Anthony. “The RAP workforce will send you a template that can outline what you have to do. There are some basic compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia resembling celebrating national Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s concerning the adjustments you’ll be able to make.”
Because plenty of organisations will start at the Replicate stage, this guide will outline the pillars it’s essential establish to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is the place it all begins.
It will possibly assist to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the present issues going through Indigenous people. Reports such as Close the Gap can provide context to your RAP and may assist you to with the next step.
Secure support
A part of a profitable RAP is establishing support for reconciliation initiatives across the complete organisation. In most cases this needs to start on the top.
“Most often I discover that if individuals are offered with the information, 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 by way 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 movement-on effect. It makes employees more engaged with their community they usually often 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 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 following step is to form a working group that will oversee all the RAP process. This group will have to 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 consist of members who have some precise energy to make changes within the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and tradition perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really profitable, you’ll want involvement from members who work with customers or clients, so that people outside your organisation understand you are trying to make a difference.
#1 mlk2sv1olmse.i.optimole.com - 24 July, 1:43 AM
mlk2sv1olmse.i.optimole.com
van-der-zwaag.de » Blog Archive » Learn how to create a Reconciliation Action Plan