Parkour: To be helpful, to be capable, to be useful.
We as traceurs train ourselves to be useful, we train ourselves for reach and escape situations so that we can help others when they are in need. Whether it be helping people out of a burning building, or escaping from a pack of guys that would rather see you dead. But should our training go further? Should we limit ourselves to using physical applications of our training?
Most traceurs would already acknowledge that through parkour one develops a new mind set that can, perhaps, make us more inclined to help people in trouble, or to be confident. But I’m talking about taking it a step further, actually going out of our way, in to the community to help people, not just waiting for someone in trouble to present themselves.
Here in Australia we have people from many walks of life, many from wealthy backgrounds, many from poor backgrounds, we have European, Asian, African, American, Latin, Indigenous etc. etc. With such a wide array of backgrounds we are bound to have a wide array of problems, and we do. We face racial problems, moral problems, health issues, physical disabilities, financial difficulties, and many others, for many of our citizens. These people all need help, and guidance. We, as traceurs have the ability to provide this help.
We train hard to become strong, to become fast, fit and fluid, but there are not many that actually train to help those who are disadvantaged. Not many that go out of their way to improve others lives. This should be a key part in our training, this should be as big a part as training physically. This philosophy of helping others and being a valuable member of the community is what sets us apart from other street sports and ‘fads’.
Many youths today face terrible problems such as homelessness, depression, and domestic violence, however there are organisations, such as Youth off the Streets who try and help these people. Our discipline has the ability to appeal to the youth of today and give them a step up, and I believe that we have the moral obligation to further our training to help these people, help them have a new start, help them to become strong individuals mentally, and get back on their feet.
To follow the true parkour ethos, groups should be involved in community activities such as donating blood, raising money for charity, helping troubled youths etc.
I encourage all traceurs to participate in blood donation, events like the Red Shield Door Knock appeal, the 40 hour famine.
Talk to your local youth center and organise a class for disadvantaged people. Find out what programs are being run in your area and offer assistance, you can incorporate your physical training with these philosophies.
Send out information to your local members of government and let them know we’re here, and ready and willing to provide help. Talk to your parents, they know more than you could imagine, and they have connections 🙂
Get involved in as many things as you can and get the positive image for Parkour Australia (and world) wide out there!
We’re not just another street fad, we are not just a variation of skating, we’re here to help, and we’re here to benefit our community.
Be Pro-Active!
“To be Strong, to be useful” – Georges Hebert.
Do you think he merely meant physically?
Eliot's Training Blog 
This was incredibly inspirational. I really really think you’ve hit home on what the future of Parkour needs to be. Very nice post.
In regards to helping others, I find that we are already doing this through what we do with the APA. We voluntarily teach parkour to people, and hopefullythey are learning the lessons in life that we have learnt through parkour. Good idea though, but we don’t need to feel like we HAVE to do it to help the community, because we already are through the classes. Im all up for it though, and support the idea.
Cimp: Very true, we are helping people by spreading parkour, so that they can be useful. I know that, and yes we shouldn’t HAVE to do anything, but if people only did things because they HAD to do it, very little good would be in this world.
Mate it’s not about what we have to do and what we don’t have to do, it’s about being useful and helping others. Helping people learn Parkour is a VERY small step in helping people, especially when there are so many other things we can do to help, somethingas simple as donating blood. I mean the boys in Melbourne have taken another step in helping, by teaching in detention centers, and are talking about other stuff as well.
It isn’t just a physical discipline, and it shouldn’t just be left to teaching people the phyisical aspect.
Zach: Thanks mate, it’s good to hear you agree, take the step in with your mates and help your community out.
I get where you’re coming from. I think I mixed my point up, instead of saying that we don’t HAVE to help because we already are, I should have said that we shouldn’t feel guilty thinking that we aren’t helping, because we are. I do agree though that by doing the extra things that you are talking about, it will develop a positive image of parkour in Australia, and will hopefully provide a positive stereotypical image for traceurs, as opposed to the one usually asociated with skaters for instance. Like I said before, Im definately up for it if you are doing anything in Canberra.
Yeah I agree with that mate, whilst it certainly isn’t, “YOU MSUT HELP PEOPLE OR YOU’RE NOT A TRACEUR”, but we need to take the initiative in taking that helping people a step further.
And yes, part of that is to improve the image of Parkour world wide. But more to the point it is simply to help people and our community, who cares what people think of us, we know we’re making a difference.
Once we start getting this website running mate I’ll be running smoe community services.