Helping Others

[Shaderon]

If there was a way you could help your community or any community, money and time being no object, you could have as many helpers as you want, but it must be using your art. How would you do it? Size of community is totally the choice of the answerer. (e.g. a block of houses or a small country)

Would you train certain people to defend themselves?
Would you train someone with the object of giving them self-esteem?


My answer to my own question. I would start up a movement to train abused women and children with the object of making them more aware of how to defend themselves and give them back some self-esteem and self worth. I would make sure they got counselling so they didn't turn into copies of the people they were abused by, and make the beginners classes secret so they could gain a little confidence from knowing that they would not have what they were doing traced by anyone.
I would go to them in refuges, schools and meeting halls and offer small private classes for free. In schools the classes could be advertised as extra gym for those who needed it.

 

[MJS]

Going along the same lines as you did in your post, I think something like an afterschool program for kids would be good. Many times, kids are home alone for a while before their parents come home. It would give the kids something productive to do, rather than play a video game or hang out with the wrong crowd. This program could be offered at a lower rate than you'd find at the typical dojo.

Mike

 

[MA-Caver]

Would you train certain people to defend themselves?
Would you train someone with the object of giving them self-esteem?

Yes

 

[Kacey]

I would teach parenting classes, and find a way to get the vast majority of the parents to attend. As a teacher, too many of my students have problems that are, at their root, due to poor parenting. Change that, and student achievement would rise; change it for a second generation, and it would skyrocket. Many of the social problems we see today would also be reduced. At least, that's my take on it.

 

[kidswarrior]

I would start up a movement to train abused ...children with the object of making them more aware of how to defend themselves and give them back some self-esteem and self worth. I would make sure they got counselling so they didn't turn into copies of the people they were abused by.

I would go to them in schools and meeting halls and offer small private classes for free. In schools the classes could be advertised as extra gym for those who needed it.

Sounds good.

 

[HKphooey]

Our school does a kick-a-thon each year for the ADA. Stickarts (mt member) has coordinated this for many years. This past year the school raised over $1,200. Seems like small change, but mutliply that times evey school in th US and you have a lot of money for some great causes.

 

[RED]

Once I get a Black Belt with the school I'm at, I will ask the instructor if I can spin off from his school and start a school at a local church with afiliations to his school. The fees will be minimal to cover insurance and to buy equipment and supplies. It will be completely non-profit.

 

[JBrainard]

My answer to my own question. I would start up a movement to train abused women and children with the object of making them more aware of how to defend themselves and give them back some self-esteem and self worth. I would make sure they got counselling so they didn't turn into copies of the people they were abused by, and make the beginners classes secret so they could gain a little confidence from knowing that they would not have what they were doing traced by anyone.
I would go to them in refuges, schools and meeting halls and offer small private classes for free. In schools the classes could be advertised as extra gym for those who needed it.

I would do pretty much the very same thing. Specifically, I would train sexually abused women and children as not only does it provide the benefits Shads mentions above but it also enables said children to learn to trust adults again, especially authority figures (like a MA teacher). I would get my students from referrals from counsellors so that I know that thier needs are being met on that front. Lastly, my school would be a NPO, charging students only what would be absolutely nessessary per my art's parent organization.

 

[tellner]

Shaderon and JBrainard,

There's a wonderful resource out there - the American Women's Self Defense Association http://www.awsda.org

 

[ArmorOfGod]

Wow. I am about to give positive rep points to everyone that posted above. Those are great ideas. It shows the caliber of the people who post here at MT.

AoG

 

[ArmorOfGod]

Oh, as for mine. Mine isn't as good as the above ones, but I would love to give a load of money to the community center that I teach at. It would not be for my program, or even help my program, but the two ladies who run that community center are incredible and I would love to help them out.

They give free parenting classes, they have an afterschool (day care) program where they pick kids up from three local schools and keep them until 6 pm. They give them dinner and help them with their homework and do it for only $15 per week. They organize "Manna Truck" days (free food to the community) and the Angel Food program, which is a wholesale food program to anyone who wants it. Also, they council anyone who comes in and set them up with government help on healthcare and welfare programs.

I would love to give a chunk of money to the center and let the spend it on whatever program they like.

AoG

 

[Shaderon]

Oh, as for mine. Mine isn't as good as the above ones,

Rubbish, it's equally as good. I bet that community center makes a huge impression on some people's lives. Sometimes it's better to affect a small number of people in a big way, than a large number of people in a small way, and you will see the benefit in people you know.

To stop people getting into a difficult situation, has to be better than trying to get them out of it.

 

[LawDog]

Most of of the income, (except operating costs), the our organization makes is donated to childrens charities and to the famiies of cancer patients. Click on the chartities link on this web site.
www.nekick.org