Easy Methods 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 lots 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, however the protests created new urgency to do something about them.

In July, the Australian government unveiled new Close the Gap targets including 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 incorporate strategic reconciliation initiatives as a part of their enterprise plans. The intention of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities to 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 4 maturity ranges that mirror where organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They are: 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 the place they will improve on Indigenous issues and have begun taking action to actively address them.

Step one for all organisations is to find out its maturity level. "Contact the RAP group at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which level you'll start at," says Anthony. "The RAP group will ship you a template that can outline what you want to do. There are some fundamental compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia similar to celebrating national Reconciliation Day and increasing knowledge of aboriginal cultural events and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s about the changes you'll be able to make."

Because a lot of organisations will start at the Reflect stage, this guide will outline the pillars that you must establish to start your reconciliation journey.

Research
This is the place it all begins.


It could actually assist to look into why RAPs are so necessary as well as the present points facing Indigenous people. Reports resembling Shut the Gap can provide context to your RAP and would possibly allow you to with the subsequent step.

Safe assist
Part of a profitable RAP is establishing help for reconciliation initiatives across your entire organisation. In most cases this must start on the top.

"Most frequently I find that if people are presented with the information, they beautiful quickly get on board with desirous to be a 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 when it comes to change and infrastructure change, societal change, or altering 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 worker understanding of Indigenous points, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a circulate-on effect. It makes employees more engaged with their community and so they often 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 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 entire RAP process. This group will need to be made up of various representatives from all sectors of your organisation.

The group is in command of planning and implementing the RAP, so it might want to include members who've some precise power to make adjustments in the organisation, and members who understand it from a coverage and culture perspective.

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