Sonder: Investing in the Student Stories That Connect Us

Some of the most life-changing and impactful learning moments happen outside of the classroom, in kitchens, over a hot breakfast made by someone else’s mother at 5:30 in the morning. 

That’s where the Sonder project begins. 

Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS) senior PJ Purvis spent a night at his friend Moses Sibley’s home in Mattapan, a neighborhood of Boston, MA. They woke before sunrise, Moses’s mother cooked them breakfast, and they headed out for the bus. When Moses stayed at PJ’s house in Sudbury, they slept until 7:30 and settled for protein bars. Two different communities, households, and realities of life, connected by friendship, and, ultimately, understanding. 

A normal teenage experience became the foundation for Sonder — the student-initiated documentary film project pairing Boston and Lincoln-Sudbury students for 24-hour home exchanges. Named after the quiet realization that every person around us is living a life as rich and real as your own, Sonder asks young people to fully step into someone else's world, and then tell that story together. 

Six pairs of students spent time in each other’s homes, interviewed a family member or role model who has shaped their partner’s life, and created short documentary films that captured what they discovered. Throughout the experience, each student journaled about their evolution from stranger to acquaintance to friend. 

Before the cameras began to roll, students went through a hands-on training with Tom Flint of Filmbuilding, who guided them through the technical and creative foundations of documentary filmmaking, from the shooting to the editing and the nuances of visual storytelling. With that training, students had the tools to advance past simple documentation—they had the language to both shape and share their experiences. Throughout the project, Tom checked in with each pair as they moved from raw footage to a finished film. Together, they translated the deeply personal moments into a cohesive story. The entire process wove together everything the students were observing, feeling, and learning.

On May 18th, EMA and LSRHS invited members of their community to a film premiere and roundtable conversation at the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester, MA. As each film was screened, audiences were immersed in the lives and experiences of each student pair. Kyla Goss, EMA’s Director of Outreach and Engagement, was in attendance and noted how deeply transformative she believed this experience would prove to be for these students as they continue on their life journeys.

“It’s incredible to see these students create experiences for themselves that will shape them for the rest of their lives,” Kyla observed. “To intentionally opt for an experience that puts them in unfamiliar spaces is awe-inspiring — after doing this, there are really no limitations to what they can do.”

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