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 that have erupted across the globe have caused loads of Australians to rethink the problems 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 authorities unveiled new Close the Hole targets including reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.

For organisations that 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 part of their business plans. The purpose of a RAP is to create meaningful opportunities for your organisation to actively assist and recognise Indigenous Australians. Like many initiatives, reconciliation is a process that will evolve as you and your organisation start to take action.


RAPs are broken down into 4 maturity ranges that mirror the place organisations are of their reconciliation journey. They are: 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 can improve on indigenous consulting services points and have begun taking motion to actively address them.

Step one for all organisations is to find out its maturity level. "Contact the RAP workforce at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which stage you'll start at," says Anthony. "The RAP team will ship you a template that can define what you have to do. There are some basic compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia comparable to celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and increasing 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 define the pillars it's essential to set up to start your reconciliation journey.

Research
This is the place it all begins.


It might probably assist to look into why RAPs are so necessary as well as the current points facing Indigenous people. Reports such as Close the Hole can provide context to your RAP and may show you how to with the subsequent step.

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

"Most often I discover that if individuals are introduced with the facts, they pretty quickly get on board with eager to be a part of the reconciliation movement,"

"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons are three per cent of the population. They'll’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 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 move-on effect. It makes staff 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 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 will oversee your complete RAP process. This group will must 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 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 need involvement from members who work with prospects or shoppers, so that people outside your organisation understand you are attempting to make a difference.