Get ready for the RAP app

BY LUCY DAVIS*

Reflecting on our recent Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Launch in early June, we are reminded of the significance of key moments, such as National Reconciliation Week (NRW) and NAIDOC Week – times when we come together to honour the strength, culture, and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

But our ministry and commitment to reconciliation cannot be confined to two weeks a year. For us in The Salvation Army, celebrating First Nations peoples must be an ongoing, intentional, and embedded part of our everyday work.

As part of our Stretch RAP, we’re excited to roll out a key initiative: RAP applications.

This new platform will enable us to track actions across Relationships, Partnerships, Communications, and Events, helping us maintain accountability and amplify the progress being made across our movement.

And there’s more – our new Events App will enable us to track the number of events being hosted across corps and programs, not just during NRW or NAIDOC, but throughout the entire year. From cultural celebrations to quiet moments of connection, every event matters.

Through our RAP consultation process – Ngumbe Bianga Guuyungs (meaning "to listen & yarn in our camp/circle" in the Burunggam language of Southwest Queensland) – we heard moving stories from across the country.

Corps connecting with local Elders, gathering for morning teas, partnering with First Nations churches, and walking alongside community groups. These are the moments that reflect what reconciliation truly looks like.

We encourage every officer, staff member, and volunteer to report their events – no matter how big or small – through the RAP database. Because every connection counts. Every story contributes. Every act of respect builds a stronger future.

The database will be launching soon, and we can’t wait to see how you celebrate and engage with First Nations communities all year long.

*Lucy Davis is The Salvation Army’s Reconciliation Action Plan & Projects Manager

---

To view the NAIDOC Week toolkit on MySalvos, click here