What is reconciliation?
At its heart, reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians. Here is Pathfinders Innovative Plan.
Pathfinders Reconciliation Action Plan
Pathfinders Aboriginal client base is demonstrating it is not only the largest component of users of our services but is the fastest growing. Pathfinders has a leadership which has always placed the greater implementation, recognition and demonstration of reconciliation, at the forefront of our
engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider community.
Pathfinders Ltd continues to grow and is a community service provider which emanated from a recognised need for support of the youth of the Armidale community. Thirty (30) years on we are currently providing thirty six (36) programs and projects to a client-base in which statistically we identify a large and growing percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.
Our RAP Journey will focus and strengthen our partnering and joint decision making with, and service delivery to, the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander community. In commencing our RAP journey, we are combining and defining the unique learnings we have gathered through
our many years of service provision to date and these are the elements and focal points of our RAP plan.
In understanding that all these elements are crucial for a successful RAP, we are accompanied and led in our RAP Journey by our Aboriginal Advisory Committee of internal and external members, so as to ensure the continuing enhancement and ready availability, of our quality services to
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
The Pathfinders Ltd Service Model has grown and is ‘deliberately morphing into’, a person centred holistic service provider. In this shared journey with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, we recognise that to fully support an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person, we must deliver
holistic services which do not conflict with their traditional, cultural and spiritual roots.
A range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artefacts has been gathered, along with other culturally appropriate material and objects including
“community meeting mats “artwork, message sticks and both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
Alongside the key elements of our RAP, we are committed to:
- Building and nurturing relationships to provide quality inclusive services in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, Traditional Owners, Aboriginal Partners, Agencies and Peak Bodies by supporting their values and ideals to achieve their social outcomes and ideals of their clients with the return of being welcoming and mutually beneficial.
- Enabling leadership and direction of our RAP across the company through our Executive Group, Aboriginal Advisory Committee and RAP Working Group.
- Implementing respectful protocols for Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners of the Land and Welcome to Country, and participation in recognised Aboriginal community activities, celebrations and events, as part of our commitment to ongoing cultural awareness.
- Utilising internal Team Leadership engagement campaigns to communicate and focus attention on our RAP objectives and supported staff Cultural Awareness journeys.
