By Josh W. and Gabe L.
Last summer Polly Greetham of the BBC contacted Jeff Brain, Vice-President for Admissions about filming at The Family Foundation School. Greetham had received multiple recommendations from psychologists and mental health professionals about how FFS deals with students diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD.
Brain presented the idea of the BBC filming at the school to the leadership team. After much debate about the potential effects on the students and their families, the team decided that they were interested in the BBC producing the documentary.
“I’ve always avoided these types of things, There’s a lot of ego involved. Also we have to consider anonymity, the disruptive environment, and focus being thrown off. But on the other hand we knew it would help carry the 12 -step message,” said Mike Argiros FFS president.
Several of the administrators knew of the BBC and their reputation from watching shows such as “Planet Earth,” “Walking with Dinosaurs,” and “Gandhi.” “BBC presents themselves differently,” said Argiros.
“We believe that they produce factual, reliable documentaries, not like some of these extravagant documentaries we see in the U.S.,” said Brain.
The administration backed the project fully, but there was one problem. Parents needed to be comfortable with the taping of their children because video footage of their child may possibly show up on national television. This could potentially affect the child’s future.
An online discussion forum was set up for the parents to talk about their worries and concerns. “Having open communication alleviates the nervousness,” said Argiros. Consent forms were sent out to all families and given to all 18-year-old students.
The administration was surprised by how many families responded favorably. While some would be okay with their child being in the background of the scenes, others consented with them being a main interviewee. Although about 10% of the parents didn’t want their children to appear in the footage at all,but none of them were opposed to the project in general.
