Please RSVP Here

Years with YSF:

Most recent school: Melrose Elementary

Favorite Movie: I hate picking favorites, but here are some all time faves: Tootsie, Sixteen Candles, When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing

Favorite Book (or book recommendation): Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés & Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Name of your favorite teacher growing up: My 9th grade History teacher, Mrs. McCracken at the International School of Brussels. She took me to the trenches in Ypre and to Flander’s Fields for my lessons on The Great War. Unforgettable!

Why do you mentor? It’s such a great way to be of service and give back. AND it’s FUN! Plus, I always learn so much from the mentees. They constantly remind me to let go of judgment and my need to be perfect. I love how easily they allow seemingly nonsensical thoughts to pour forth, and then like magic, their story makes perfect sense in the end.

What was the last script you mentored? What was it about? Rise of the Planet of the Pizzas “Be Careful the Pizza is in Town.” Tony, a big piece of pizza the size of a baby and Kratos, an undercover super hero disguised as a baby, team up to stop Monster Pizza Pieces from eating all the humans.

Is there a moment that stands out to you in your experience as a mentor? Every Big Show! Watching the mentee’s face while the actors act out their screenplay is priceless.

What would you tell others about YSF? Get involved! Mentor or come play in a Big Show. YSF is a great organization that I’m super proud to be a part of.

How does YSF affect you, and how do you think it affects other mentors? This program adds more play to my life and my writing.

What advice/trick of the trade would you offer other mentors? Let go of control. Say yes! When a mentee makes some crazy leap in their story that has no obvious relevance, I start asking questions about all the details that they’re seeing in their mind, and that’s when the story gets super interesting.

Ann & Jerry Moss Theatre
at the
Capshaw-Spielberg Center for Arts & Educational Justice
3131 Olympic Blvd. | Santa Monica, CA 90404

Event sponsorship packages now available. 

Please contact us for details.

Neighborhood Sponsor $25,000

Neighborhood Sponsor’s name will be above the title of the event
(i.e. NAME OF SPONSORS Presents The Biggest Show 2012)


Named as Neighborhood Sponsor in all event materials.


Full page ad in Commemorative Event Program

Seating in First 3 Rows, Middle Section

Invitations for 15 guests to VIP celebrity post-show reception

Logo and/or Names of 3 Neighborhood Sponsors will be displayed on
all event on-stage signage and promotional materials

Logo on YSF website for a full year

Mention of Neighborhood Sponsor’s name on stage by celebrity actor
in conjunction with event’s student work and on all event materials

Meet and Greet with Celebrity performers


School Sponsor $10,000


Named as School Sponsor in all event materials.

Half page ad in Commemorative Event Program

Seating in First 3 Rows, Middle Section

Invitations for 10 guests to VIP celebrity post-show reception

Logo and/or Name displayed on all event promotional materials

Logo on YSF website for a full year

Meet and Greet with Celebrity performers

Class Sponsor $5,000

Named as Class Sponsor in all event materials.

Quarter page ad in Commemorative Event Program

Seating in First 3 Rows

Invitations for 5 guests to VIP celebrity post-show reception

Logo and/or Name displayed on all event promotional materials

Logo on YSF website for a full year

Meet and Greet with Celebrity performers

Watch the video below to learn more about what we do.

Thank you a thousand times for the wonderful gift you have given these young Agents of Change. Yay for the Arts!

Sincerely,

Amy Owen (Benevolent Despot and Teacher)
Crescent Heights Elementary School

We’re so happy to hear this news. Thank you everyone who volunteered at Crescent Heights Elementary this semester. You’ve spread the magic of storytelling and writing beyond what we could imagine. And thank you Amy. Teachers like you make all the difference. 

By now, even if you’d never heard of the television show on which it’s based, you’ve heard of the movie. The movie that raised $2 million dollars in just under 11 hours. At last check, that number had reached more than $3.6 million, with 55,000 backers. Yes, Veronica Mars will return to Neptune.

To just put that $3.6 million in perspective for a moment, that much money would fund the Young Storytellers Foundation, where I work, for 10 and a half years.

Keep reading at HuffPo.

Tuesday, May 21 | 7 – 9PM

Join us for a special evening of

cocktails with a view
plus a performance by a special guest

to celebrate

The Young Storytellers Foundation

at the Pacific Palisades home of YSF Director Natalie Fair

KINDLY RSVP HERE

Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Performance begins promptly at 8PM. Address and parking information provided with RSVP.

Unable to attend but would like to lend your support? You can learn more about the Young Storytellers Foundation, including volunteer opportunities and how to make a tax deductible contribution, or watch this video about our cause:

Years with YSF: 4, and they’ve flown by!

Most recent school: Linwood E. Howe Elementary 

Favorite Movie: A total throw down between The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews is kind of a big deal in my book.

Favorite Book (or book recommendation): Oooh, hard, as I have so many. Small child me would say Anne of Green Gables; teenager me would say anything Jane Austen; and adult-ish me is constantly absorbed in historical fiction.

Name of your favorite teacher growing up: To pick one, it would be my high school French teacher, Mrs. Pearlman. She was a firecracker in the classroom – even after taking college French too, the vocabulary that still remains embedded in my mind are the words, songs and phrases that she drilled in my head. It’s been years since I was in her class obviously, but her teaching methods are inspirational to me even now. 17 years since I first met her and we are still friends to this day–she even traveled down to LA for my wedding this past August.

Why do you mentor? So many reasons. I love kids; I love learning; I love writing; I love movies. This program is amazing in so many ways and it’s such a privilege to be a part of it. I always tell people that going to YSF each Wednesday is pretty much the best part of the week. It’s like real life stops for an hour and I get a fresh look at the world through the eyes of a group of 10 and 11 year olds. I love to see what inspires them and how even the simplest of ideas is embraced. They aren’t jaded yet and it’s beyond refreshing to witness.

What was the last script you mentored? What was it about? I’m a Head Mentor now, but two sessions ago I mentored a young girl named Miyu. Her script revolved around her main character’s desire to be part of (and win) her school’s singing competition. The obstacle was that her grandpa was very sick and in the hospital. Her story was really touching and her lesson was that family always comes first. I was lucky enough to see Miyu again recently since her script was one of the four chosen last year to be performed at The Biggest Show.

Is there a moment that stands out to you in your experience as a mentor?  There have been a lot of awesome moments, but I think my favorite thing is watching how the kids transform by the end of the course. Every single time the shy kids are talking more and the rambunctious kids are still extroverted, but more focused. All of the students are so excited about their stories that all other labels or worries have been erased. They all support each other at the Big Show and come together as a group of writers – it’s an amazing thing to see.

What would you tell others about YSF? I constantly voice the merits of YSF to anyone who is interested. To anyone who is even considering volunteering in some capacity, I just say “DO IT.” What you put into it is only half of what you get out of it. You’ll laugh, you’ll be inspired and you’ll just feel GOOD. I love listening to the kids talk about their favorite part of YSF on our last day. Yes, often they say their favorite part was the Big Show, but just as often they say that their favorite part was working with their mentor. You have no idea how awesome that feels until you hear it. Each volunteer makes such a difference. So many kids don’t get that one-on-one time with an adult who is giving them their undivided attention. The kids appreciate us as much as we appreciate them.

How does YSF affect you, and how do you think it affects other mentors? I have always loved volunteering, especially with kids. Not only do I feel good about what I’m doing, but I’m also rewarded with meeting so many wonderful people who also care about the community and the next generation of humans to inhabit it. On a more basic level though, YSF is a place of creativity and fun. All of the mentors I work with come to YSF on their lunch breaks from work.  Not only are they giving up their only free time in the day, but they are also leaving behind all of those emails and phone calls and meetings and surrounding themselves with laughter and crazy amounts of imagination. While we are giving our time and attention to the kids we work with, YSF lets us tap into our own inner-kid that sometimes gets lost in the work week.

What advice/trick of the trade would you offer other mentors?  Be an active listener. Really show your mentee that you are paying attention to him or her. Ask them questions and make them confident in what they are producing. I’ve seen kids fluctuate between story ideas for the first few weeks and you can tell that it’s nerves and judgment preventing them from choosing one idea and running with it. They just need confidence in themselves and as a mentor you often hold the key to providing it.