Reconciliation Australia defines an Innovate RAP as an outline of actions that work towards achieving our organisation’s unique vision for reconciliation. We have undertaken the development of an Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) as a mechanism to do this.

An Innovate RAP focuses on developing and strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, engaging staff and stakeholders in reconciliation, developing and piloting innovative strategies to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our Innovate RAP is an important step towards our strategic vision of full citizenship for all people living with a mental illness in Australia.

As a national mental health organisation, we are committed to improving mental health and wellbeing in all local communities. We recognise the importance of addressing the unique experiences of disadvantage within Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.

Our vision for reconciliation is that we live in an Australia that accepts and acknowledges our shared history, and that our shared journey forward will lead us to better mental health and social and emotional wellbeing for all Australians.

We aspire to the ceasing of health inequity and are committed to creating respectful and safe environments and nurturing a sense of cultural belonging, through healing for change for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our Journey to Reconciliation

The Reconciliation Action Plan reflects our reconciliation journey – a journey of which we are immensely proud. 

Our greater understanding of the RAP deliverables has led to a strong agreement, through consultation, that the organisation will redefine the RAP and its deliverables to fit with community needs.

An Indigenous circular/two-way governance model will be used to encompass and respect local and regional community methods and input in decision making.  Indigenous governance will be applied to our frameworks on how we engage and develop alongside Indigenous communities.

Oversight, governance, and community engagement will be our way of ensuring we are accountable to the communities in which we work as we develop a new Reconciliation Action Plan.

Pitcure: Dajarra Browne “Healing for change, healing together” 2017 (Detail)