We have reviewed and considered posts that have emerged since the release of our latest podcast episode on women’s engagement, commenting on Parkour UK, our employees, and our work.
Considering the content, we would like to make the following statement.
Parkour UK acknowledge that the post caused concern for some members of our community, this was unintended, and we apologise for any distress caused.
As the national governing body for parkour, we always encourage respectful and considered debate to the posts that we share. When engagement is professional, and solution driven we will be pleased to work with our community on the matters raised to an appropriate conclusion.
We understand that frustrations exist about historical matters. These are matters that we have listened to, taken seriously, and based on independent decision making, we have taken a clear strategic direction which we stand by and believe are in the best interests of the sport.
Since Monday we have been engaging with the authors of the posts and where agreed we have made arrangements to speak on the matters raised.
The women’s engagement project has been designed with positive intent. We would like to encourage more women into parkour, not just by being physically active but also in decision making roles to have their voices heard. The project is in its very early stages and being driven by Lynn Jung from our digital team, who is finding women that are active in the sport and want to tell their stories.
Parkour UK’s social and digital platforms are our main channels of communication with the community. In addition to the ‘communication’ tool, the platforms are a fundamental part of our workplace, so we feel that it is important to identify and challenge confrontational behaviour so that our staff feel safe to undertake their roles.
So that our digital spaces can be a safe, inclusive space for discussion and sharing of ideas and to ensure everyone has a positive experience, we would encourage everyone to maintain the behaviours / principles outlined on our website. You can find this by following the link below.
Parkour UK do not plan to make any further comments on the matter. Through our continued work to serve, elevate and add value to the parkour community we will engage through our staff and board and welcome respectful and considered contributions.
Further details on our engagement strategy and opportunities to contribute will be shared.