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OVERCOME

OVERCOME

Overcome is a Parkour Generations outreach and social responsibility initiative that utilises the incredibly powerful vehicle of parkour movement training to help people overcome obstacles in their lives, be they physical, mental, social or indeed anything that hinders or impedes a full life for that individual.

Obstacles come in all shapes and sizes; life isn’t predictable or uniform or smooth, it’s wild, organic, and can seem like very hard going for many people. But it isn’t the terrain or the obstacles that are the problem – it’s our perspective.

The philosophy of parkour is to see obstacles as opportunities for adaptation and improvement, to find a way through any terrain, and to embrace adversity as the vital catalyst for our own growth and self-mastery: to OVERCOME! Parkour teaches us to face what is, not what we would like or expect, and to work with that to create a positive, progressive and powerful outcome.

There is always a solution, if only we view difficulties from the right perspective.

Overcome is the application of that ultimately practical philosophy to any difficult, challenging or potentially adverse scenario in order to find a way forwards to reach a positive outcome for all involved.

The obstacle truly IS the way.

PHYSICAL DISABILITY // Physical disability can strike any of us at any time in life, for any number of reasons, but this isn’t a reason to stop moving; if anything it’s a reason to move more. Our Adaptive Movement Training helps the physically disabled discover new ways to move that fit their particular, unique skill-set, building strength, mobility, fitness and overall health. With parkour there are no barriers to movement.

MOBILITY + HEALTH // As the saying has it; we don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing. And play is movement. Parkour is a concept of movement that can be applied just as well to toddlers as to as those with more experience of life under their belts! Age is no barrier to moving well, and maintaining healthy, functional movement patterns is the key to a long, vibrant life. Parkour has been proven to help with stability, strength and mobility, key components of fall prevention, and with joint position sense for everyday coordination. ‘To be and to last’ (etre et durer in French) is one of the original creeds of parkour, emphasising the importance of training for a long and healthy life, not just for one’s youth. Our To Be and To Last programme is designed specifically for the veterans of life among us who want to embrace every day, knowing it’s never too late to expand our potential.

MENTAL HEALTH // Mens Sana in Corpore Sano – A healthy mind in a healthy body. It’s no accident that the root meaning of the word emotion is ‘arising from movement’. Mental health goes hand in hand with physical health and regular movement, as countless studies now demonstrate. The core of parkour is the development of a strong and healthy mind through physical activity and natural movement, and at Parkour Generations we promote and enable well-being for those with a recognised mental health need. It’s been proven that regular physical activity, engaging with one’s outdoor environment and being part of a strong community of support help to manage and restore mental health. Our E-Motion Programme uses the practice of parkour to help the strength within each of us shine out the brighter.

SOCIAL INCLUSION // Helping young people find a good path in life can turn on something as simple as succeeding in one single activity. Throughout a decade of leading social inclusion programmes around the world we’ve seen thousands of young people build a positive self-image and generate a progressive future for themselves as a result of the skills, strengths, confidence and freedom acquired through parkour training. Parkour is inclusive, non-competitive, challenging and engaging, and develops a healthy connection between the individual and their physical and social environment. Our work with the UK’s nationwide Positive Futures and Edutain programmes was captured in the award-winning documentary Jump Westminster documentary and since then we’ve launched our Progressive Pathways programmes across 4 continents.