ACTIVITY 1

What Does “Homeless” Mean?

In the Lifetime Original Movie, Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, Liz Murray narrates
the story of how she grew up homeless, yet managed as a teenager to get into Harvard.
You may have wondered about homeless people—how they became homeless, what it must be
like to be homeless, what happens to those who have no home. There is a lot of misinformation
surrounding the issue of homelessness. Read the questions below and answer as thoughtfully as
possible. Then discuss your answers in class to see how your ideas stack up to reality.
1. What does “home” mean to me?

2. What is homelessness?

3. What are some of the reasons people become homeless?

4. Why don’t homeless people just live with family members?

5. About how many people in the United States are homeless?

6. Why don’t homeless people just get jobs and earn money to pay for a place to live?

7. How can I help the homeless?

National
® Alliance to End
Homelessness
ACTIVITY 2

Understanding Youth Homelessness

Do you think you know anyone your age who is homeless? Chances are you may know homeless teens, but
you may not be aware of it because they keep their living arrangements a secret. Then, too, some teens go in
and out of homelessness, depending upon family struggles.
Read each statement below and circle whether you think each one is true or false. Use the space following
each statement to explain your choice. Be prepared to discuss your feelings with fellow students.

1. An estimated 1.3 million young people are in the street each night. TRUE FALSE

2. Teens become homeless because the adults who care for them are too lazy to work. TRUE FALSE

3. Teens who choose to be homeless rather than live with their parents are just being rebellious. TRUE FALSE

4. Teens in foster care are at an increased risk of becoming homeless. TRUE FALSE

5. All homeless people abuse drugs and alcohol. TRUE FALSE

6. There is help available to homeless teens. TRUE FALSE

If you or someone you know is at risk of becoming homeless, or is already homeless, there is help. Call the
National Runaway Switchboard at 800-621-4000 for anonymous and confidential crisis counseling.
Visit http://www.nrscrisisline.org for more information.

National
® Alliance to End
Homelessness
ACTIVITY 3

The Power to Accept and Change

Despite desperate circumstances and enormous obstacles, Liz Murray was not a teen who was easily
dissuaded from her goal of getting a good education. One of the obstacles Liz encountered was peers
who made fun of her and put down the way she looked. But she did not let any hurt stop her. She accepted
the parts of her life she could not change and changed the rest to best support her drive and dream. For
example, she loved and accepted her parents as they struggled with drug addiction; she accepted that her
school wasn’t meeting her needs, so she switched to a school where she could thrive.
Read the following scenarios about typical teens and their goals. The path to each goal includes both
positive and negative components. For each one, use a separate piece of paper to describe which
circumstances you believe the teens in each scenario must accept and which they have the power to change
to reach their goals.

1. Chris is a solid student, but math is a challenge for her. Last report card, she missed the
honor roll by one point because her math grade brought her overall average down. Chris
wants to do well in math, but she finds it hard to follow the teacher’s instruction. Plus the
teacher gives quizzes almost every day. Chris’s older sister is a math whiz. She volunteered to
tutor Chris, but Chris is worried because her sister always acts like such a know-it-all. Chris’s
best friend has math first period. She offered to slip Chris a copy of the daily math quiz so she
can easily raise her grade by seeing the quizzes ahead of time.

2. Ali wants to buy a car. Her parents say that when she can afford the insurance and
maintenance on a car, they will pay for half the cost of a car they agree on. Ali also wants
to run track. The track coach says Ali is talented—that she has a real shot at a college
scholarship. But, between track meets and practices, there will not be any time
left to work to earn money for a car.

3. Tawny is in the school marching band. She is a good trumpet player, but she’s losing
interest in band. She is growing bored with all the practices and marching at the
football games every Friday night. She secretly wants to quit and take it easy in her senior
year. But Tawny’s band director and her parents have other ideas. They want her to practice
even more, so she can qualify for a music scholarship, or at least get a place in the university
band. Tawny knows if she quits now, she will disappoint the adults in her life, but if she
stays in the band, she will disappoint herself.

National
® Alliance to End
Homelessness
ACTIVITY 4

Reality Check
As a homeless student, Liz was the victim of taunting from her classmates in school. Part of the teasing may
stem from the fact that her classmates were uncomfortable with her.
It’s true that many myths and misconceptions surround the issue of homelessness. This exercise will help
you better understand your own feelings about the homeless and encourage you to separate the reality from
the falsehoods.
Below are some actual quotes that have appeared in newspaper articles and editorials around the country.
Read each one and decide if you agree or disagree with it and why. Record your responses on a piece of paper.
Then, use the Resource Guide to do some research to discover what you can about the facts of homelessness.
Record the information you discover. Compare the information you found during your research with your
original responses. Share your research with classmates and see if your opinions about the homeless change
or stay the same.

Here are some questions to guide your thought process:

• Do you agree with the quote? Why or why not?
• What do you think the writer or speaker would propose to do to address the problem of homelessness?
• Would you approach the problem the same way or differently? Explain your ideas.

“Some of [the homeless] are clearly just down on their luck—out of a job and out on the street as a result.
How many there are of these is anyone's guess, but the percentage is probably small...if a person wants a
job, the chances are he or she can find one.”

“The vast majority of homeless are, by anyone's definition, mentally ill...and most are drug addicts,
alcoholics, or both.”

“Most homeless people have no interest in living under a roof, in following some specified regimen, or in
earning a wage.”

“The problem isn't lack of housing, but a lack of interest in it. Whether their judgement is impaired by
mental illness, substance abuse, or a pathological rejection of convention, evidently many of the homeless
are in their situation because they choose to be.”

National
® Alliance to End
Homelessness
 ACTIVITY 5

Timeline Goals
Liz is a girl who will not be dissuaded from her goal of getting an Use the back of this paper to draw a timeline for
education. Although she does not attend school regularly, Liz reads the recording the goals you achieved and those you hope to
®
encyclopedia to educate herself. When she is late for the interview for the achieve in the future. Here is a sample. Jot in today’s
school she wishes to attend, she presses the adults in charge to give her a date on the blank line in the center of the timeline
with space before and after for
try. Liz is determined not to fail because she sees succeeding as the
October 1999 Was recording past and
only way out. on t present goals.
he h
Chances are, you have already reached important goals in your life. December 1999 Sang ono
solo r ro
There may also be other goals you have not yet attained. Goals help you in h ll
Summer 2000 Lear o l
ned i d ay p
celebrate both where you have been and where you are going. Read the to ro rogr
November 2000 En lle am
following list of questions. They will guide you to list your past and tere r b lade
d pr
present goals. June 12, 2001 Got o ject
my in sc
Guiding Questions first ienc
August 2001 Save job e fai

PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
d en r
1. What goals have you attained in school, at home, with friends, in oug
February 2002 Got hm
sports and hobbies? my
con
one
y to
2. What were some of the earliest goals you reached? May 31, 2002 Had d ition buy
perf al dr a ca
3. What were some of the later goals you reached? ect iver mer
October 19, 2002 Too atte ’s licen a
k PS nda
4. What was the most important goal you reached? AT nce se
April 7, 2003
5. Were any of your goals celebrated or commemorated with
National parties or awards? May 3, 2003 Scor
Alliance to End e ab
6. What goals do you hope to reach in the near future? Summer 2003 ove
Star
Homelessness
7. What goals do you hope to reach in the distant future? t jog 1100 on
ging S
December 2003 Get 4 tim AT
acce e s per
pted wee
Use this space to list goals you have already achieved: February 2004 Get to U k
regu C L
lar d A
June 2004 Gra rive
dua r’s l
te h icen
2006 Get igh sc ce

FUTURE GOALS
a se hoo
at in l wit
2007 Buy univ h ho
my ersit nors
own y go
2008 Land ca vern
a job r men
t
Use this space to list goals you still want to achieve: 2013 Own in m
my y fie
own ld o
f stu
hom dy
e
 Letter to Educators
Dear Educator:

Lifetime Television is proud to present the enclosed educational materials based on the Lifetime
Original Movie, Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. These materials have been
developed in partnership with two organizations: Girls Inc. and The National Alliance to End
Homelessness. Girls Inc. is a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all
girls to be strong, smart, and bold. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) is a
nonprofit organization that implements strategies to end homelessness by partnering with local
communities including nonprofit organizations, government officials, the faith community,
corporations, and advocates.
Homeless to Harvard is based on the life of Liz Murray, a young woman raised in New York City
in poverty by loving, yet drug-addicted parents. With incredible spirit and drive, Liz turned her
life around by getting off the streets, going back to high school, and ultimately getting accepted
to Harvard University. This true-life movie will premiere on Lifetime Television on April 7 at
9:00 PM ET/PT with encore presentations throughout the month of April (please visit www.
lifetimetv.com for specific dates and times). It is a truly inspiring story and we hope that these
materials will spark sensitive and stimulating classroom discussions about self-esteem and
homelessness.
Included in this kit are six reproducible activity panels for you to copy and distribute to your
class, a teacher’s guide explaining how to use the materials, a four-color poster for classroom
display, and additional resources for you and your students to learn more about self-esteem and
homelessness. These materials are specifically designed to fit high school curricula in health,
psychology, and sociology and have been distributed to teachers of these subjects as well as
guidance counselors and school psychologists. They are meant to facilitate discussions
surrounding issues related to prejudice, empowerment, determination, compassion,
self-esteem, homelessness, and survival with young people ages 16-19.
The Homeless to Harvard education materials are part of Lifetime’s public awareness campaign,
Our Lifetime Commitment: Be Your Own Hero. This campaign aims to build self-esteem among
women and girls by celebrating their strengths, talents, achievements, and determination. In
addition to Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, a centerpiece of the campaign is
Lifetime’s Achievement Awards: Women Changing the World premiering on May 22 at 10:00
PM ET/PT. This inaugural television special salutes women from around the nation—nominated
by Lifetime Television viewers—who have beaten all odds and made a positive difference for
their families and communities.
The story of Homeless to Harvard brings into sharp focus the painful reality of homelessness in
America, but it is also the story of how one teen’s courage and compassion allowed her dream to
become reality. It is our hope that you will share these materials with your students. For more
information on Homeless to Harvard, go to www.lifetimetv.com, or contact us at 212.424.0944.

Sincerely,

Mary Dixon
Vice President
Public Affairs
 Teaching Guide
Activity #1: What Does “Homeless” Mean? room that matches their opinions about each still wish to attain. They will then place these past
Activity Aim: This introductory activity determines statement. Have each student take turns explaining and present goals on personal timelines. In this
students’ knowledge of homelessness. Based on his or her reasoning. Read aloud the fact that way, students will be able to evaluate how far they
information from the National Alliance to End corresponds with each misconception. have come and see where they are headed. The
Homelessness located in Washington, DC, the Activity #3: The Power to Accept activity offers a list of questions to guide such goal
activity presents students with a series of and Change setting.
questions designed to assess their background Activity Aim: In this activity, students are presented To Use:
knowledge about homelessness, and to help with a few different scenarios citing typical teens 1. Make a copy of the activity for each student.
them understand what it is like to be homeless, as and their goals, plus the positive and negative 2. Read and discuss the introductory paragraph
well as what a big problem homelessness is for so factors in place for each teen as he or she attempts together.
many families across the country. to reach those goals. Through discussion and 3. Talk with students about how reflection on
To Use: writings, students will decide and describe which past achievement coupled with goal setting for
1. Make a copy of the activity for each student. circumstances they believe the teens in each the future can be important steps in shaping
2. Read and discuss the introductory paragraph scenario must accept and which they have the their lives. Discuss the idea that students can
together. power to change to reach their goals. create one generic timeline or a series of
3. Tell students they will be examining their own To Use: specific timelines, each reflecting different areas
knowledge and beliefs about homelessness. 1. Make a copy of the activity for each student. of achievement (academic, physical, creative,
4. Ask students to complete the page by recording 2. Read and discuss each scenario together. personal, etc.).
their answers to the questions on the lines 3. Have students identify the supports and the 4. Use chart paper or the board to list some past
provided. hurdles in each scenario. and present goals of your own and then show
Follow-up: Encourage open dialogue using the 4. Ask students for written responses to the parts how the listed items may be transferred to a
completed activity sheets as an entry point to a of the situation the teen needs to accept, the timeline. After helping students decide if they
discussion on homelessness. Ask volunteers to parts that could be changed, and some each want to create a generic or specific
share answers to each item to prompt suggestions for what sort of change the teen timeline, have them use the page to list past and
immediate discussion. Accept a variety of could put into motion. present goals, and then transfer these goals to a
responses to each statement. Refer to the Resource timeline. (To guide their efforts, students may
Activity #4: Reality Check refer to the list of goal-setting questions
Guide as a reliable discussion reference for
Activity Aim: This reproducible activity is provided.)
presenting factual information.
designed to help students explore myths and Follow-up: Have students share their timelines
Activity #2: Understanding Youth realities surrounding homelessness and the
Homelessness together. Talk about how reflecting on past
homeless. Students are provided with print quotes accomplishments helps to fuel the determination
Activity Aim: Students read statements and decide reflecting widely held attitudes about the issue.
if each is true or false, and then explain their needed to tackle new goals.
They will reflect on the information presented,
responses in writing. This activity alerts students to research the information to find supporting or Activity #6: Self-Esteem Matters
the devastatingly deep and far-reaching effects of conflicting evidence, and then compare their Activity Aim: This activity is designed to help
homelessness and makes real the notion that findings to their original reactions to see if and students understand how self-esteem and belief in
homelessness can happen to anyone or to how their ideas about homelessness have changed. self can help determine success. Students will be
any family. To Use: offered different scenarios and then told to act
To Use: 1. Make a copy of the activity for each student. them out, both from a position of a person with
1. Make a copy of the activity for each student. 2. Read and discuss the introductory paragraph low self-esteem and from the position of a person
2. Read and discuss the introductory paragraph and the quotes together. with a strong belief in self. As an alternative to
together. Emphasize that knowledge is the first 3. Invite students to react in writing to the quotes role-playing, educators may have students offer
step to solution. by telling if they agree or disagree with the responses in writing.
3. Ask students to complete the page by reading quotes and why. To Use:
each statement and telling if they think it is 4. Invite each student to choose a quote to 1. Make a copy of the page for each student.
true or false. Students may use the blank research (or assign each student a quote). 2. Read and discuss the information presented.
spaces to explain their answers. Have students conduct research to discover 3. Help each student choose a role-playing
4. Have students break into small groups of 4-5 and record factual evidence to support or partner; suggest the partners choose a scenario
each and discuss how they feel about the discredit each quote. You can copy and to act out (from high and low self-esteem
homeless. (“When I see someone who is distribute the Resource Guide on the back vantage points) and then work together to craft
homeless I feel...”) of the Answer Key to get them started. the dialogue and actions they will present in
Follow-up: Ask students to research ways to help Follow-up: Have students who have researched each mini-play.
the homeless population in their own community the same quote meet together to share their Follow-up: Allow time for students to act out their
and have them plan a community service project findings. Have them combine their findings mini-plays before an audience of their peers. Talk
that addresses the homeless. Refer to the Resource into a chart presentation to share with the rest about how each vignette makes students feel.
Guide as a reliable discussion reference for of the class. Encourage students to identify feelings with
presenting factual information and for fostering specific labels (e.g., hopeless, depressed,
Activity #5: Timeline Goals
community involvement. Variation: Designate the energized, confident, etc.). Guide students to
Activity Aim: This reproducible activity is designed understand that the frame of mind and spirit from
four corners of the room as Strongly Agree; Agree;
to help students understand that one of the which we each operate and present ourselves can
Strongly Disagree and Disagree. Refer to the
reasons Liz was successful was that she managed be positive or negative in nature. Suggest that it is
Resource Guide to generate a list of common
to hold clear goals backed by determination. up to each of us whether we act from a place of
misconceptions about the homeless. Read each
Students will be asked to list goals they have high or low self-esteem.
one aloud. Have students go to the corner of the
achieved in their lives, plus goals they
ACTIVITY 6

Self-Esteem Matters
In the Lifetime Original Movie, Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, Liz’s strong self-esteem
and her belief in herself helped determine her success. Below are different challenging scenarios for
you to read. Think about the various ways they might play out, both from the perspective of a person
with low self-esteem and from the perspective of a person with strong belief in self.

1. You go shopping with a bunch of kids from school. You try on

the types of clothes you like, but one kid laughs out loud at
you and makes a big joke about your choices.

2. You are teamed up with two other students to do a science

project. But on the Saturday you agree to meet to do the
project, only one of the two students shows up to help.

3. You are at a restaurant with friends. The waiter brings you

your food, but it is cold and greasy.

4. Your friend asks to borrow your favorite CD. You reluctantly

lend it but tell your friend you want it back in one week.
Two weeks go by, and your friend has not mentioned the CD.

5. You work very hard on an essay for school, but you do not
score well at all. You think the teacher graded unfairly. You
want the teacher to look at the paper again and change
your grade.

National
® Alliance to End
Homelessness