THIS summer two Cypriot families will be chosen to host a pair of unruly British kids, as part of a BBC series on parenting called The World’s Strictest Parents.
The programme, now on its third series, will follow the progress of two teenagers, aged between 16 and 18, who are described as “a bit unruly”, during their stay with the host family.
“It will be challenging. They are not delinquents or hooligans, but they have grown up with lax boundaries at home, and some are not that considerate. They can be a bit unruly,” the show’s producer, Helen Crampton said yesterday.
Last year, the BBC sent teenagers from the UK to live with role model families all over the world, from Jamaica to Israel, and Ghana to South Africa, and Crampton is now looking for potential host families in Cyprus who are conservative, educated, disciplined and loving.
The ideal families would be those willing to accommodate two British teenagers for one week and instil in them the values and morality they demand of their own children.
“They need an opportunity to get perspective on their lives without the usual temptations. This experience offers the benefit of living with stricter boundaries,” said Crampton.
The teens are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and in some cases have left school, lack direction and are at risk of becoming involved in crime and drugs. By getting involved in the show, the producers hope to enrich the lives of the teens they are following.
So far the programme has successfully turned around the lives of several wayward teens. For example, Jocelyn Harris, 18, took part in the show last year after dropping out of college and doing nothing for a year.
Harris was sent to India, where she stayed in the family home of a successful businessman, who inspired her to make more of her life.
“I’d dropped out of college and had been doing nothing for a year. I was hanging out with my friends in Brighton and was approached by one of the show’s casting team,” she said. “I had been doing nothing with my life and needed something to motivate me.”
Asked what she expected from the family, Harris said: “I was expecting it to be a horrible place, especially when we arrived in Mumbai and saw the place. But it was a nice house, and modern. I expected the parents to be really, really strict, but their parenting technique was different. It wasn’t all shouting, they were nice and calm about it.”
And did it change her? “I’m still the same person, but I’m not smoking weed all the time like I used to. I’ve stayed living at home and have improved my relationship with my mum. I’ve got a job, and I’m sticking with it. It’s good to be doing something!”
Asked how other teens had been changed by the show, Crampton said: “There has not been a complete transformation, but it is a great experience and there have definitely been positive changes. They do get an increased perspective and approach life with renewed vigour.”
The producers are looking for “inspirational, disciplined and educated host families”, ideally with children aged 14-16 and who are proud of their strong parenting and family values.
If you are proud of your strong parenting and family values and interested to learn how you can get involved, please email [email protected] or call Helen Crampton on 00 44 207 284 2020
