Tips on 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 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 rest of the population are well known, however the protests created new urgency to do something about them.

In July, the Australian government unveiled new Shut the Gap targets together with reducing Indigenous incarceration rates.

For organisations that feel the urgency act there's 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 a part of their business plans. The goal of a RAP is to create significant opportunities on your organisation to actively help 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 four maturity levels that mirror where organisations are in their reconciliation journey. They're: Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Each has a corresponding RAP type organisations can pursue. For example, the Innovate degree is for organisations that already understand the place they will 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 team at Reconciliation Australia and discover out which stage you'll start at," says Anthony. "The RAP staff will ship you a template that can define what you could do. There are some basic compulsory actions required by Reconciliation Australia resembling celebrating nationwide Reconciliation Day and increasing knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. After that, it’s in regards to the changes you may make."

Because a number of organisations will start at the Replicate stage, this guide will define the pillars it's worthwhile to set up to start your reconciliation journey.

Research

This is where it all begins.

It could possibly help to look into why RAPs are so necessary as well as the current issues facing Indigenous people. Reports equivalent to Close the Hole can provide context to your RAP and would possibly help you with the subsequent step.

Secure support

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

"Most often I discover that if people are offered with the details, they beautiful quickly get on board with desirous to be a part of the reconciliation movement,"

"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons are three per cent of the population. They can’t do the heavy lifting by way 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 employee understanding of Indigenous issues, the Reconciliation Australia 2018 RAP Impact report found. This can have a movement-on effect. It makes workers more engaged with their community and so they often select 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 atmosphere, 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 the whole RAP process. This group will have to be made up of assorted representatives from all sectors of your organisation.

The group is accountable for planning and implementing the RAP, so it will need to encompass members who have some precise power to make adjustments in the organisation, and members who understand it from a policy and culture perspective.

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

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