FareShare commits to Reconciliation
FareShare is proud to announce the launch of our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in conjunction with Reconciliation Australia.
In doing so, FareShare joins over 1,100 like-minded corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations in Australia that have made a formal commitment to Reconciliation.
Through our RAP we hope to deepen and build on our partnerships with First Nations organisations and relationships by taking time to recognise their value, reflect on our responsibilities within these partnerships, and to keep learning ways we can improve.
Since 2006, RAPs have provided a framework for organisations to leverage their structures and diverse spheres of influence to support the national reconciliation movement.
This Reflect RAP lays the foundations, priming the workplace for future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives, and helps build a framework of relationships, respect, and opportunities, and to strategically set our reconciliation commitments in line with our own business objectives for the most effective outcomes.
These outcomes contribute towards increased awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge, and leadership and the five dimensions of reconciliation: race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity; unity; and historical acceptance.
FareShare is developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) because we are committed to helping improve food security for First Nations Peoples, and building our knowledge of, and respect for, First Nations history and culture in our staff, volunteers, stakeholders, and donors.
FareShare wishes to partner with First Nations services and communities in ways that are respectful and mutually beneficial, and we want to be proactive in using FareShare kitchens and facilities to provide opportunities for Indigenous communities and services.
We believe that formalising a RAP will allow us to better recognise the importance of First Nations controlled services and communities in the planning and delivery of FareShare programs, reflect on our responsibilities within these partnerships, and learn how we can improve.
FareShare intends to implement our RAP through a dedicated RAP Working Group (RWG) consisting of staff members, including our First Nations Officer and CEO, and key external members, who meet monthly.
To help us launch our RAP, FareShare commissioned a stunning custom artwork that is now permanently displayed in our Morningside, QLD location.
The artwork was completed by Uncle Joe Malone, descendant of the Kangoulu and Jagalingu people from Central/Western Queensland and founder of Jagalingu Aboriginal Creations.
In 1988, Joe was taught the craft of making aboriginal artefacts and art by Joe Skeen Snr., a Kuku Thaypan elder. He has been manufacturing Aboriginal Artefacts and creating works of art ever since.
According to Uncle Joe, the handprints at the bottom are the communities reaching out for a hand up, not a handout. The handprints at the top are FareShare’s helping hands that are more than willing to help.
The footprints and the lines in between the circles represent travel, showing FareShare delivering meals to the most vulnerable members of our local, regional and remote communities.
The large circle in the centre depicts the FareShare kitchens, the traditional symbols for Men and Women are the caring staff preparing the meals.
Each dot in this painting signifies just a fraction of how many meals are prepared each week and how many individuals and families benefit from our community service.
To celebrate the launch of our first ever RAP, we are hosting two exciting events, one in Meanjin (Brisbane) and one in Narrm (Melbourne) in early July 2022.
These will include a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, presentation of key parts of our RAP, and a First Nations-inspired nibbles. Invitees will include respected Indigenous elders, Reconciliation Australia, NITV, some of our corporate partners that also have RAPs, board members and our volunteers.
Stay tuned to our social media channels, blog, and newsletters for recaps of these events. And be sure to download the full version of our Reflect RAP here:
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