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The 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 across 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 inhabitants are well known, however the protests created new urgency to do something about them.
In July, the Australian government unveiled new Close the Gap targets together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.
For organisations that 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 business plans. The purpose of a RAP is to create significant opportunities for your organisation to actively help 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 reflect the place organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They're: Mirror, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Each has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For example, the Innovate stage is for organisations that already understand where they will improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking action to actively address them.
The first step for all organisations is to determine its maturity level. "Contact the RAP team at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which level you will start at," says Anthony. "The RAP crew will ship you a template that can outline what you want to do. There are some fundamental obligatory actions required by Reconciliation Australia resembling celebrating national Reconciliation Day and rising knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the modifications you may make."
Because numerous organisations will start on the Replicate stage, this guide will outline the pillars you should establish to start your reconciliation journey.
Research
This is where it all begins.
It may help to look into why RAPs are so essential as well as the present issues dealing with Indigenous people. Reports reminiscent of Shut the Gap can provide context to your RAP and might aid you with the next step.
Safe assist
Part of a successful RAP is establishing assist for reconciliation initiatives across your entire organisation. In most cases this must start on the top.
"Most often I find that if individuals are presented with the facts, they beautiful 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 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 worker understanding of Indigenous issues, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a flow-on effect. It makes staff more engaged with their community and they usually choose to donate to, or volunteer with, Indigenous organisations as a result.
A RAP additionally solidifies your organisation’s commitment to making 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.
Establish a working group
The subsequent step is to kind a working group that can oversee your complete RAP process. This group will have to be made up of assorted representatives from all sectors of your organisation.
The group is answerable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it might want to encompass members who have some precise energy to make changes in the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and tradition perspective.
Lastly, for the RAP to be really successful, you’ll need involvement from members who work with customers or clients, so that people outside your organisation understand you are trying to make a difference.
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Website: https://www.cisau.org.au/indigenous-participation-plan-services/
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