Kristy's private Zoom Room! Every session is a live, interactive workshop-style group class held online via Zoom, in a safe and moderated environment. We keep things moving at a good pace to keep attention, and break up the sessions with engagement exercises

Every session is recorded and accessible in the portal, so if life gets in the way your young person never misses a thing. Upon enrolment you'll be asked to sign consent to record the session and a media waiver. The media waiver is optional, the recording of the sessions is not but your child will not be visible in the replay.

No... but they do need to love creating their own stories, and be able to stay engaged for one hour. There is no particular skill level, prior writing experience, or commitment to publishing required... It's an introduction to the craft and process of storytelling, sparking ideas into tangible form. The program gives young writers practical skills, real confidence, and a clear picture of the pathway to published should they choose to walk that way.

We meet Tuesday afternoons for 60 minutes over 6 weeks. The sessions are interactive. There is no homework (because even that word can spark avoidance!). There is no pressure to share work publicly (I get it, I'm an introvert too). Students are encouraged to participate at their own level, and the program is structured to meet each young writer where they are: from the student who has a notebook full of chapters to the one who has only has stories. The Peer Engagement Labs (body-doubling free writing sessions) and writing community chat board are optional.

Spark Your Story is designed and taught by Kristy Lee Rackham, a multi-bestselling author and publisher, holistic counsellor and former nurse, and mother of formerly homeschooled AuDHD children. Kristy brings a trauma-informed approach, and works with writers of all ages. She has a special interest in supporting highly sensitive humans and their families (being AuDHD herself), to help them bring their ideas to life and achieve their publishing dreams.

Yes. Every session is run in a moderated Zoom environment. The peer community channel is off social media, fully supervised, and accessible only to enrolled students. Kristy holds a current Blue Card and has a background in mental health nursing and holistic counselling and has worked with teens for many years.

The program is designed to meet every young writer exactly where they are. Sessions are structured so that a 12 year old with fragments of a story and an 18 year old with a full draft are both challenged and supported. There is no "keeping up", everyone is working on their own story at their own pace and to their own level.

Please note that this is a group learning environment and Kristy's focus is on facilitating the session for all participants. If your young person needs a little extra support to engage comfortably, one parent, caregiver, or support worker is very welcome to sit alongside them. We simply ask that adults stay in the background and let your young person find their own voice in the group.

The program is designed for ages 12 to 18, and the content, pace, and community reflect that age group. That said, if your child is 10 or 11 and you feel they are genuinely ready (a confident reader, an enthusiastic writer, and comfortable in an online group setting) please reach out before enrolling and we can have a conversation.

We are committed to making Spark Your Story as accessible as possible for every young person, and we will always do our best. We want to be honest with you though: we don't know everything about every disability or accessibility need, and we can't foresee every challenge that might come up. Some aspects of the program may not be fully accessible for every participant, and we won't always get it right. What we can promise is that we are open, will listen, will try, and will work with your family to find practical solutions wherever we can. If your young person has a disability, accessibility need, or requires specific accommodations to participate comfortably, please reach out before enrolling and share what would help.

Please note that the program is delivered via Zoom and hosted on our existing online learning platform. We are unable to modify third-party tools, the course platform, or the website itself to meet individual technical requirements. What we can do is work with you directly within the program as it is designed.

No young person should feel excluded because of a barrier we might be able to help with. Just ask.

We know life happens, so every session is recorded so your young person can catch up at any time via the online portal. Because of this, we do not offer refunds for missed sessions or non-completion of the program. The course is non-refundable and secures your young person's place in the cohort. If something significant comes up, please reach out via email and we will always do our best to find a solution.

Technical difficulties on the participant's end are outside our control, but every session is recorded and available in the portal within 24 hours. We recommend testing your Zoom connection and open the link 5-10 minutes before the session starts. Kristy is not able to pause or repeat live sessions for late arrivals or connection issues and courses will not be refunded for technical difficulties.

We encourage every young person to give the program at least two sessions before making that call. Sometimes the first session nerves take a week to settle! That said, enrolment is a commitment to the full six weeks and fees are non-refundable once the program has commenced. Remember that the portal is available if they're struggling with the social aspect or need more time and support to complete exercises.

This is a respectful, creative community. We ask that all participants engage with kindness, keep feedback constructive, and respect the privacy of other young writers in the group. Any behaviour, bullying or language that disrupts the learning environment or makes other participants feel unsafe may result in removal from the program without refund.

Your young person owns their work entirely. Soul Scribe Publishing will never reproduce, share, or use student writing without explicit written permission from the student and their parent or guardian.