The big screen will become a teaching tool and an opportunity to spur a community discussion when the movie, "Race to Nowhere," airs for three public viewings this week.

“Race to Nowhere” will air at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 18) at Deer Path Middle School, 95 W. Deerpath, and again at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 20) at Lake Forest High School's east campus, 1285 N. McKinley Road. The Jan. 20 showings are both sold out.

There will also be two private screenings including one at 7 p.m. Feb. 3 for Lake Bluff parents at Lake Bluff Middle School.

“Race to Nowhere,” is a film about the challenges young people confront every day to be ‘the best of the best, showing what educators are saying is an environment of high stress in public schools.

Concerned parents and LEAD (Linking Efforts Against Drugs), a Lake Forest-Lake Bluff parent education organization that educates parents and adult mentors on preventing alcohol and drug use, and other dangerous behaviors facing today’s youth, are the driving force behind bringing the movie for local screenings. 

The film features the personal stories of students, school administrators and psychologists about the everyday stress in a young person’s life. It is aimed at educating parents, teachers, school administrators and community members about these issues, how to recognize potential problems and how their actions can make a difference.

“Parents need to see how all of the pressures of academics, sports, arts and community service, take a toll on a child and a family,” said parent Megan Morris, who helped spread word about the film to the community. “This film challenges us as a society as to how far we are willing to push our kids. As a parent, ‘are you willing to get off the Merry-go-Round?’ Can you be content with recreation soccer or does your child have to be the top scorer on the traveling team?

“It will force us to ask ourselves, what can I do as a parent? What can we do as a community?”

LEAD recently conducted an informal survey with parents and noted the top concern they had was stress and anxiety facing their youth. The organization saw this was becoming a widespread problem and decided to tackle the issue head on. 

“Parents have to realize the high levels of stress in our youth leads to depression, drug and alcohol abuse and even suicide,” said Betty Frank-Bailey, executive director of LEAD. “For the sake of our youth, we really wanted to address this concern with the whole community and get parents, teachers, school administrators and other community members on the same page.”

Frank-Bailey said the feeling of stress and pressure on a child is a universal problem. “The filmmaker’s hope is that the film serves as a call to action for parents, educators and other adult mentors,” she said.

“Race to Nowhere” isn’t just geared toward parents. Morris said students will also benefit from seeing it because they will be able to relate to seeing their peers going through similar situations as they do.

“It will be great for students because they will be able to identify with the kids in the film,” Morris said. “It will make them aware that these are feelings and issues other teens are having and they are not alone.”

More than 2,000 tickets were released before LEAD was even able to publicize the event. 

“We had an overwhelming response,” Frank-Bailey said.  “I believe it was so popular because it really strikes a chord with parents who want to see their children succeed.”

Morris said that after watching the trailer, people realized this is a topic they want more information about and tickets disappeared quickly. “Anyone who watches it can relate to it and you can see how it could hit home with everyone: parents, students, teachers and coaches,” Morris said.

Added Frank-Bailey, “Many parents heard about the film from others and they’re looking for answers and support to avoid getting sucked into this competitive pressure." 

This film will just be the beginning of community engagement. There will be a follow-up community discussion titled, “End the Race,” to be held from noon-1:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Gorton Community Center, 400 E. Illinois Road. The discussion will be led by a panel of experts, including a teacher, school administrator, clinical professional, parent, school counselor and social worker. Teachers, parents, students and other members of the community are welcome to participate in the discussion.

LEAD plans to continue the dialogue and bring in speakers that were featured in the film, including Madeline Levine and Denise Pope, on March 15 at the Gorton Community Center. Levine is author of the book, Price of Privilege, which focuses on parental pressure and materials, while Pope wrote Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation Of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“This ongoing discussion will help us as parents, teachers, and anyone else in a child’s life best prepare and support them so they lead happy, healthy lives,” Frank-Bailey said. “I hope this will serve as a catalyst to get the community united.

“This documentary will provide us with a good base to start from to work on gaining a long-term effect that will reduce stress and anxiety among youth,” she added.