Two Seniors Turn Dallas Interviews Into National Storytelling Project
Eres Stone and Helen Flanagan completed the first phase of a Nest Foundation initiative that aims to archive community voices across the United States.
By Robert Ward ·
Two Dallas high school seniors completed their first year as apprentices for a national storytelling campaign that plans to expand into 19 additional cities. Eres Stone and Helen Flanagan, both seniors at Hockaday, served as the initial youth participants in Our Human Voices, a project launched by the Nest Foundation. The nonprofit seeks to connect scientific research with practical community impact. The pair spent the summer traveling across Dallas to record interviews with residents from various backgrounds.
The project required the students to complete training in active listening and ethical interviewing before they began filming. Stone, who described herself as an extrovert, joined the program after hearing about it and immediately raising her hand. Flanagan, who is more reserved, joined alongside her. The partnership forced the two to adapt to each other’s communication styles while they worked to document local narratives.
The students interviewed more than a dozen subjects who held different professions and viewpoints. Participants included Daris Lee, the health and wellness manager at Bonton Farms in southern Dallas. Rabbi David Stern of Temple Emanu-El in Preston Hollow also contributed to the archive. Other subjects included Dallas officer David Luna and Justin Sokol, a stylist working in the Bishop Arts district. These interviews captured the diverse voices of the local community.
The resulting film had its premiere screening on October 7 at the Angelika Film Center. The event included a presentation and a question and answer session featuring Stone, Flanagan, and several of the people they interviewed. Lee and Sokol joined the students on stage to discuss the process and the content of the film. The audience engaged with the students about their experiences filming in different neighborhoods.
Lee used the Q&A to discuss the importance of visibility for underserved areas. She noted that Bonton is often overlooked despite its active community life. "We’re just sharing the story of Bonton, which is an underserved community, just like a lot of other underserved communities, and a lot of times all they need is this kind of exposure," Lee said. She added that seeing two young high school students take the lead on the project was a remarkable development.
Libby Spears, the founder and executive director of Nest, explained the core philosophy of the campaign. She stated that the organization wants to shift the dynamic from talking about people to talking to them. Spears said that young people often receive external narratives about who others are. The program provides tools for students to ask questions directly and listen to the answers. The goal is to build a national archive of these direct interactions.
Stone and Flanagan bring extensive community involvement to the project. Stone lives in the Park Cities and serves as the international section editor for the Youth Political Times. She is also president of the teen board of directors at Temple Emanu-El and captains Hockaday’s varsity golf team. Flanagan also resides in the Park Cities. She works as a director at the Marcus Mart food pantry and instructs a youth program at the Dallas Equestrian Center. The pair has identified Mark Cuban as their next potential interview subject.
