A WEEK OF WONDERS

by Sara John

Overview And The Concept

Some years ago, when I was working at the BBC, I read an article in the newspaper describing a successful experiment in what we would call a ‘Junior School’ in New York. There had been concerns about youngsters from poorer backgrounds, having little support from the authorities, when it became time for them to leave school, decide what they were going to do for a living, find out more about possible jobs and successfully get underway in the big world out there.

In those days I was a member of an internal Equal Opportunities Committee and was mindful that in Cardiff at that time, television and radio came from what appeared to be a well-guarded and secure building that did not openly welcome visitors without invitations. A fairly inscrutable institution. We were also outside the ‘centre’ of town therefore not readily accessible. To accentuate this the award-winning building was clad in acres of plate glass so no one on the outside could see inside. What went on in there? Did they ever close – the answer in those days was “No” they did not.

What has such set-up got to do with New York? Our organisation, like many others at that time, was under pressure to more effectively reflect the make-up of the local community in our staff profile. I was aware from my other activities that youngsters thinking about their future needed to know what was required prior to making a hopeful job application. I mentioned their dilemma for discussion at the Equal Opportunities Committee meeting hoping for some support. Few realistic ideas were forthcoming until a gifted member of the HR team spoke. He was knowledgeable about how career opportunities were dealt with for school leavers, recognised the problems and, promised his support. I was, by now determined to do “something” about this apparent unfairness, almost postcode injustice, for those from poorer backgrounds, after all, who were and, hopefully would remain our viewers, or customers and our licence payers of the future.

Preparations

Thinking of the New York experiment, I embarked on a plan to create a one-week course and visit for twentyfive or so local children aged around fourteen years. I sounded out a few trusted chums and colleagues in various departments around the organisation and met with a positive response to my sales pitch. All of them used the welcome words, “Yes. Yes. Count me in.”

Beforehand, I had listed further preparation in terms of who I needed to speak with to gain approval for the scheme. Fortunately, I was invited to a reception on the Saturday morning of a rugby international with local departmental heads, guests from BBC headquarters, sports celebrities, councillors, and the Lord Mayor. I moved around the room as naturally as possible to publicise my proposal but may have been mistaken for a local do-gooder selling raffle tickets for funding the replacement of a troublesome transmitter, somewhere well north of Aberystwyth.

Spotting someone I had briefly met some time previously who had responsibility for BBC centres outside of London itself, I managed to explain the idea and before long found that he was immediately on board. I was lucky. His views were very much more empathetic than I had dared contemplate and may well have tuned in in some way, with his own background.

This was a coup, because now if anyone in the necessary chain of approval attempted to veto the plan, I could explain that it had been accepted above their heads. I was of course well aware what I was keen to achieve was based on NIL funding. Success would be based only on goodwill. So the marathon task of making it work and come together was now in my hands.

I had done some research on local schools, their successes or otherwise, the standards expected from the staff and the teachers’ commitment to helping and supporting pupils.

One particular school which was not too far away with a very good mix of students with differing traditions, belief systems and expectations was, we felt the number one choice.

Together with a senior member of staff from the HR unit we met the headmaster of the selected school and explained our proposal. We explained that the concept was to expose the selected pupils to a short experience of the world of work which might equip them better to make informed choices when facing the prospect of leaving school.

The plan was for twenty-five fourteen year olds or so to come in to the BBC for five working days. Each would have a Godfather or Mentor with whom they would spend their mornings observing the workings, worries, pressures and contributions made to the requirements of that particular day.

Each afternoon, after lunch in the Restaurant (not to be referred to as the Canteen!) the young delegates would be divided into five groups of five as a ‘Team.’ A miniature version if you like of how we worked together making a television or radio programme.

After some discussion about the details of the scheme the headmaster pronounced himself delighted to be involved and only asked that he, and only he should be permitted to select the students.

As I explained to the “mentors” the expectation was that by the end of the week there would be five fifteenminute videos of broadcast quality ready to be shown to an invited audience on Friday afternoon. Judging would take place, Diplomas and certificates would be awarded.

The mentors would advise, explain, comment on the scripts, themes, costumes, settings and so on. BUT, the actual video would be the work of each team of five. Let’s go!

Behind the scenes the headmaster would inform parents, gain their permissions, book a detour for the school buses involved and decide which of his staff members should accompany the students. All agreed.

I still needed a base, services, and twenty-five “Godparents” or mentors who would offer a morning place for each schoolchild prior to each one joining up with their fellow members in the afternoons. The prepared timetable indicated clearly how our valuable time was to be used.

The BBC broadcast first-class programmes because they employed and trained first class people. But, without the ideas, scripts, rehearsals, costume designers, skilled makeup artistes, set designers musicians, singers, actors, and support staff there would be no point in anyone ever switching anything on. There would be a blank screen.

Added to that list of staff there were caterers, cleaners, maintenance people, clerical and secretarial staff, transport workers and many, many others.

During the preparation weeks before “take off” I had people to see and jobs to do including sticking a notice on my office door saying, “Unless your problem is life threatening GO AWAY!

The work involved:

1.1 Draw up a flow chart/running order/clear timetable. Send to relevant staff, and to others for information, eg the front reception desk.

1.2 Remind all involved in my so called “chance meetings”. Distribute to all concerned including headmaster.

1.3 Write, plan and print a programme based on times, rooms, breaks etc etc.

1.4 Set up a brief quick meeting with all the ‘Godparents’. Soon!

1.5 Start preparing the opening welcome and warnings and be ready for questions.

A welcome speech for all attending on that fateful first morning would include:

1. First names only please. No Miss! Miss! No, Who sir? Me sir? No Sir!

2. No school uniform unless you feel you cannot be parted from it.

3. Do NOT touch anything.

4. Keep quiet in corridors.

5. All the clocks in the building will tell you the same time, they are on a pulse from Greenwich.

6. No smoking. No drugs. No pinching anything.

7. I would provide a basic information pack for everyone listing my extension number, room number, secretary’s name and so on.

LET’S GO!

As I went in through the big glass doors on that first Monday morning the Reception area was buzzing with excitement. The security chaps, whom I knew quite well, were amazed that I had got permissions for twenty-five fourteen year olds to come into the building for a week and they would be learning how to put a video/programme together.

We had a nice large room as project headquarters. The children came in, sat down; they all knew each other of course which was a great help and when the Godparents came in the children all stood up. I cannot tell you how well that went down. The Smart operators in the group were already in charge.

On the opening morning welcome meeting, one boy put his hand up to ask a question, “Please Miss when do we start?”

I got the message!

I did the planned welcome and in no time the project was underway. I explained that I would see them all at coffee break in the Restaurant (its official title) or more popularly canteen, that, as you would expect went down very well. No longer children, this is what being grown up will be like if you work at it. They were all ready to be ‘delegates’. And off they went.

Meeting up in the ‘restaurant’ for coffee I was able to catch a little of the heady mix of seeing, hearing and being in a completely different world. There was not a whiff of school uniform to be seen but nearly all the “delegates” had new clothes on. I decided to sit with a group of immaculate girls who sussed me out, top to bottom, hair, manicure, rings and necklaces. They were loving ‘Everything’ so far. Let us hope it continues.

By lunchtime everyone had met their Godparent and followed them back to their department. We had chosen very carefully the areas which were the most suitable and where the godparent could explain what was happening without disturbing any programme making activity.

The choices were wide and varied:

Costume and wardrobe (including laundry and dyeing)

Make-up and hairdressing, Catering. Transport, Presentation

News. Studios 1, 2, and 3. Scenery Construction

The Concert Hall, The Books and Newspapers Library, also the Music Library, Film Library, Newsroom Library

Rehearsal Halls, Scenic Design Department, Graphics Design

Film Editing, and others.

The Wonder Week Of Wonders

With delegates meeting their Godparents (really their mentors), discussions taking place about the 15-minute videos for the Film festival on Friday and everyone able to join in, there was a sense of great urgency. During the week everything went smoothly partly due to the eagerness and energy which were infectious and invasive, eventually affecting the whole enterprise.

I could step back now from the front line and start double checking the plans for Festival Friday. I ordered a buffet lunch for everyone involved including the delegates. The catering manager was both intrigued and somewhat suspicious, so he needed a little more background information. When I gave him the special guest list of broadcasting celebrities, members of the Broadcasting Council and local dignitaries who were coming to the Friday Festival he was fully on board! He was most helpful in selecting the menu, very knowledgeable about “easy to manage ingredients” suitable for eating in tandem whilst chatting to other guests. would take these kids on tomorrow!

The audience were agog with questions: mainly – How did they know what to do, where to start, where to find (and return I hope) scenery, furniture, props, costumes, background music and so on!!! They must have got Ken Loach to direct.

I could hear our guest audience using the welcome words, “first class Broadcast Quality”.

The Chairman of the Broadcasting Council came to the stage, admitted to being overwhelmed by how much love and effort and sheer hard work had gone into the Festival Videos.

The engineers arrived to set up the mics, lights, projectors and other vital pieces of kit and the seating was arranged for the audience. These comprised of the Godfathers of course plus those indicated above. It was time for the completion of the project and for the work of these youngsters to be revealed to a wider audience.

Curtains were closed, the lighting was adjusted, and we were ready to go.

There would be five in all from the five different teams competing. These videos consisted of one episode of a drama or soap.

I introduced the first Video.

How did they get her hair like that and all that stuff on the tea table and the shouting and they had a television going full blast in the background! And the grandfather smoking that pipe and NOT setting his copy of the ‘Racing Times’ on fire.

Another was a Musical which was magical, colourful, (I recognised many of the costumes and the fact that they fitted the artistes and had been ironed beforehand) The popular songs fitted the mood of the scenes so well.

One was a sci-fi video with special effects yet to be seen on Doctor Who!. Who gave them help, information and support without giving too much away about how some of the scenes were overlaid with special effects? Who? No, not Dr Who!

The fourth video we saw was a murder mystery, I would risk saying that our murder Mystery team were not Agatha Christies fans, but they managed a very mature scene when the sisters, living in a cottage in the country recognised the murdered person as their neighbour and friend!

Number five video knocked everyone’s socks off. A documentary, it was set in a school, some children were experimenting with drugs, they were caught and punished. It was brilliant.

There were loud ohs and ahs as the screen showed the opening titles! Where from? Who did them? Whose idea was that? How did they get time with the graphics people? A senior BBC Chap whispered in my ear, I

He gave his comments on all five videos and presented each team with a specially written certificate awarded to four different categories. The overall best video was considered to be the school story about the dangers of drugs. It was a very popular decision, there was much noise and cheering for the winner.

We knew we had done our best to introduce these children to the world of work, the benefits of team working, give them a taste of life within a large and complex organisation and show them perhaps that dreams can come true.

Eight or more years later three or four young persons whom I did not recognise said ‘hello’ to me in the Restaurant.” You do not know who we are do you?” I was asked. They explained that they had been on the Film Festival Course and had all just finished college and had just received letters to say they each had an offer from the BBC for a six-month attachment as trainee floor managers. “Bye” they said, “see you” and “thanks again.”

I sped away with a lump in my throat, a lighter step and a song in my heart.

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