Recognising National Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June
At Shoal we recognised that our Indigenous Action Plan needed to consist of relevant and tangible action items that would have real impact, however incremental or small.
We took inspiration from Reconciliation Australia’s dimensions of national reconciliation and have built an Indigenous Action Plan that focuses on two key objectives ‘Enhancing race relations through historical awareness’ and ‘Equality’. We will continue to evolve our action plan as we develop greater cultural awareness and understand the steps we can take as individuals and as an organization.
So far, we have embarked on a group knowledge sharing exercise to better understand the local Traditional Owners or Custodians of the lands where Shoal staff reside and work, so that our Acknowledgement of Country held real context and meaning. In recognition of National Reconciliation Week (27 May-3 June), our Indigenous Action Working Group members will be undertaking cultural awareness training, we will be paying our respects by adding an Acknowledgment of Country to our All-in meetings and Shoal staff have the option of including an Acknowledgement of Country to their email signatures.
As a company that values education and ongoing learning, particularly in the field of STEM, we are building a plan to provide meaningful educational opportunities to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
At Shoal we believe there is real value in even the smallest steps and hope to make a meaningful difference by driving positive change within our sphere of influence. We look forward to building on our action plan year after year as we go on the journey to collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.