Kuwarna has strengthened its commitment to reconciliation and First Nations people by embarking on a new three-year Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
Having completed two ‘Innovate’ RAP’s since 2017, the Club’s new ‘Stretch’ RAP was officially launched on Monday ahead of Kuwarna hosting North Melbourne in the AFLW’s Indigenous Round at Norwood Oval on Friday night.
It is the second highest RAP recognised by Reconciliation Australia and is based on delivering measurable outcomes for internal and external First Nations stakeholders, as well as reflecting an ongoing commitment towards understanding and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
Deliverables in the Stretch RAP fall within four key pillars of governance, opportunity, relationships and respect – and aim to drive meaningful change both within the Club and the wider community.
These include increasing Aboriginal employment and procurement opportunities across all levels of the Club with the target of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders making up five per cent of the workforce, and increasing spending with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses by five per cent each year of the RAP.
From a football perspective, the Club is looking to expand talent and pathway opportunities by establishing a female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NGA Academy, while off the field the Club aims to have 100 per cent of players and staff complete the Club’s newly developed cultural learning continuum which covers cultural awareness and immersion opportunities with an aim to build cultural competence across the organisation.
Kuwarna CEO Tim Silvers said the new Stretch RAP marked a significant milestone and the next step in what had so far been a seven-year journey.
“Advancing to a Stretch RAP is both ambitious and exciting, and as a Club and an industry we are making progress however, we acknowledge a great deal of work still lies ahead,” Silvers said.
“The RAP is underpinned by a commitment and shared buy-in from all levels of the organisation, which means we can set about achieving the goals with a good level of understanding.
“I would like to acknowledge our Aboriginal Advisory Group, led by Professor Roger Thomas, as well as our own internal RAP Working Group.
“They, along with many others, have been influential in our journey and we move forward knowing we are united in our approach.”
