Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan: Year 1 update
At the end of last year, our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was endorsed by Reconciliation Australia. This year, our focus has been putting the RAP into action as part of our ongoing commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, by creating a culturally safe and responsive organisation.
Our Innovate RAP focuses on strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, engaging our staff and stakeholders in reconciliation, and developing and piloting innovative strategies to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The RAP provides a framework and practical actions that we will take to drive our contribution to reconciliation, both internally and in the communities that we serve.
Year one of the Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan has seen us:
- Work with communities and peak bodies across NSW, investigating opportunities to co-design, implement and evaluate programs to increase engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
- Recognise cultural days of significance, including National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week with a traditional Smoking Ceremony held outside our Woolloomooloo office as well as recognition events across NSW
- Design a decal for all offices, accommodation facilities and retail to Acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land, following a cultural safety audit
- Develop new community event collateral such as banners, tablecloths and marquees using Aboriginal art specifically designed for our RAP, to increase engagement with communities
- Continue to implement Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment pathways through our partnership with Career Trackers
- Review our HR policies and procedures against anti-discrimination guidelines, incorporating advice from our Aboriginal Advisory Committee
- Develop an internal resources page to support organisational understanding of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Develop a strong framework and internal working group to track the success of our RAP and keep us accountable to our goals
- Share our RAP with key Aboriginal stakeholders from communities across NSW – this was an alternative to a physical launch due to COVID-19 limitations
Our priority for 2020/21 was building a strong internal foundation for reconciliation at Cancer Council. We are especially proud of these achievements in a year where face to face connection was challenging due to the impact of COVID-19.
Building and strengthening our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has enabled us to work together across multiple settings and important dates, including building awareness of cancer screening, taking part in community events and listening to people impacted by cancer to help provide information and support that is relevant to their community.
What’s next?
Next year, our focus will be:
- Looking for cultural immersion opportunities for staff within communities across NSW
- Exploring ways to employ and retain more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Developing cultural protocol documents, guided by our Aboriginal Advisory Committee
- Continuing to build relationships as a trusted partner to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and reduce the impact of cancer in communities
Read our full Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.