Documentary on homeless students
will be screened Friday on campus

Homeless advocate Diane Nilan is coming to NIU to share her newly released documentary, “My Own Four Walls,” a unique look athomeless kids’ insights on homelessness.

The documentary was co-produced by NIU Communication Professor Laura Vazquez. It will be screened as part of the child psychology brown bag series at noon Friday in Room 136 of the Psychology-Computer Science Building.

Nilan began traveling the country in her RV in November 2005, visiting non-urban areas to film interviews with kids about homelessness and school. Upon her return, she worked with Vazquez to compile her 75 interviews into a unique and powerful series of short documentaries, “My Own Four Walls.”

The video was released last month. It has been shown nationwide to audiences in schools, universities, conferences, shelters and community settings.

“The best spokespersons are those who live in this increasingly common state of homelessness,” Nilan said. “Unfortunately, homeless families are seldom recognized in communities outside urban areas.”

“My Own Four Walls” was created to raise awareness of, and sensitivity to, homeless students. Vazquez and Nilan are now working on a feature-length documentary on homeless families.

4-16-07