What is a Reconciliation Action Plan?
A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a document that supports any business to find its place in the wider work of Reconciliation with Australia’s First Nations Peoples.
All schools in Australia should have a RAP in place. All Australian teachers are required to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and incorporate Indigenous perspectives into teaching plans. A RAP can help teachers do this in a meaningful and authentic way.
How do you create a Reconciliation Action Plan?
If you are in a school, you will want to check out Narragunnawali. This organisation has ideas and templates to help you create your RAP, as well as training and guides to get you started. You will also store your RAP on their website when it is completed.
Who should be involved in creating a Reconciliation Action Plan?
You will need to put together a Reconciliation Action Plan Committee. This group of people should consist of teachers, support staff, leadership, students and parents, as all these people will be responsible for actioning the RAP.
The committee will need to meet a number of times to create the RAP and they will be the leaders in carrying out the actions in the Plan. While they aren’t wholly responsible (as the RAP is the responsibility of the whole community), the RAP committee plays an integral part of organising the process.
How can schools use Reconciliation Action Plans?
Reconciliation Action Plans can be a great tool to support teachers. You can include actions in your RAP to train teachers in supporting Indigenous students or to invite local Elders to your school for special events. A RAP can be a very useful document to document these important things that will benefit the community and commit to getting them done.
Why should I become involved in my school’s Reconciliation Action Plan?
Joining your school’s RAP committee is a great way to see how your RAP works. It will give you insight into what is possible for you and your students and fight to make it happen.
Even if you don’t want to join your RAP committee, you can still get involved. Speak to someone who is on your RAP committee to give feedback and suggestions. You can also ask them about what actions they are currently working on and what you can do to support this.
