FFS Changes Policy on Sponsorship
By Brooke C.
In another Family Foundation School first, students will now be able to choose their own sponsor, the staff they want to have lead them through the 12 Steps to a higher way of life.
This is a major change to the traditional way that FFS students are paired up with their sponsors. Since the beginning of the school, new students have been assigned a sponsor that they work with until they leave.
In a recent all-school meeting, the details of the new plan were outlined and discussed. When new students arrive, they will be set up with a temporary sponsor who will help them adjust to the school, guide them through their first couple of months, introduce them to the Steps, and help them communicate with their family. When the student decides that he wants to work the 12 Steps, he then chooses his Step sponsor.
During the meeting, FFS President, Mike Argiros, said, “We’re making this change because it’s a personal, soul-searching process to pick a sponsor…it’s a commitment.”
On the student’s side, changing sponsors will need a lot of thought. First, the student must pick who they want to be their Step sponsor, which is not a task taken lightly. Principal Annie Janauer stated that students should choose their sponsors by finding the person to whom they could say, “You have what I want!”
This change has many important benefits. First, choosing your sponsor is a vital element in A.A., a place where many FFS students are headed after graduation. Argiros said, “The next biggest task after walking through the door is asking, ‘Can you sponsor?’” In addition, having a sponsor that you can trust to temporarily “manage” your life is necessary for a good recovery.
This transition may prove difficult for some students because they may have to change their sponsors. The new plan states that Family Leaders and Family Counselors cannot sponsor students in their own families, unless those students are graduating in June. Argiros thinks this is an important part of the new plan. “I’m excited, I think it’s great, one of the best things that ever happened to me was picking my own sponsor separate from my parents [now known as Family Leaders].” Also, only staff members who have gone through the 12 Steps with a sponsor will be able to sponsor in the future.
Rita Argiros, administrative vice-president, was excited about this change in policy. She said, “I guess I would say that my sister, brother, and I are firmly committed to fostering responsibility and independence in our students, and personally I want the current generation of FFS students to get the benefit I got when we first started, including choosing sponsors.”
