Jake, Practice Consultant, holding the Australian Aboriginal flag during NAIDOC week in 2020.
Guided by Reconciliation Australia, we’ll contribute to meaningful change and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with respect for culture, traditions and deep connection to Country. This includes 44 of our staff and the people we support who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
Jake Doran, Practice Consultant and proud pakana (North East Tasmanian) man, is leading the project for our Practice Innovation and Service Development team.
Jake shared, “after 60,000 years of custodianship and hundreds of years of mistreatment and marginalisation, it’s time for all of us to do our part. By following the RAP framework, we believe we can begin to embed reconciliation as a cultural norm throughout our organisation and particularly through our service delivery.”
What’s a RAP?
A RAP is a document that outlines how an organisation intends to support a national movement towards reconciliation. A commitment to a RAP is a commitment to the five dimensions of reconciliation: historical acceptance, race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity and unity.
There are four RAPs, each with a different theme and responsibilities that increase as you move through them. They are Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate.
Reflect RAP
Last year we started shaping Possability’s Reflect RAP. The focus is on preparing our organisation for the changes we’ll be implementing as we work through successive themes.
For some initial guidance Jake and Matthew Spicer, Practice Leader, met with Aunty Esmai Manahan, a Yorta Yorta woman and General Manager for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Service Development at Mackillop Family Services. Aunty Esme emphasised the importance of consulting with and seeking the commitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, strengthening partnerships where we work, embedding a culture of reconciliation and the significance of truth-telling.
What’s next?
We’ll continue developing Possability’s longer-term goals, identifying a Working Group and communicating our commitment to creating a culture of reconciliation.
While we’ve only just started on our reconciliation journey, Jake says: “This is an incredibly important mark of respect for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples we support and employ, and who live in our broader communities.”
We encourage you to learn more about reconciliation by watching this video by Reconciliation Australia and exploring their website.