Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Our Whole Lives (OWL)

OWL Curriculum for 7th-9th Grade January, 2008

Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a series of sexuality education curricula by Pamela Wilson, M.S.W. developed jointly by the Unitarian Universalist Association and United Church of Christ for five age groups: grades K-1, grades 4-6, grades 7-9, grades 10-12, and adults.

Our Whole Lives is based on the philosophy of comprehensive sexuality education, which helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, comprehensive sexuality education provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, social, and political aspects of sexuality as well.

Comprehensive sexuality education has been shown to be effective. A review commissioned by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, released on October 22, 1997, concluded that quality education about sexuality and/or HIV helps to delay first intercourse and protect sexually active youth from STDs, including HIV, and from pregnancy. The review also concluded that responsible and safe behavior can be learned, that sexuality education is best started before the onset of sexual activity, and that sexuality education does not encourage increased sexual activity.

At UUCPA, OWL is run by the OWL Committee which oversees both adult and children's versions of this program. The class runs at a time that is convenient for the participants — for the last two years, OWL has been offered during Sunday school hours for a specific age range each year (grades 4-6 in 2003-04 and grade K-1 in 2006-07). The goal is to ensure that all children are offered the opportunity to attend each OWL session when they reach the appropriate grades. Although run and staffed by a different committee, OWL teachers are drawn from the same pool as the teachers in the CRE program. The CRE program adapts to accommodate children who spend part of the school year in OWL and part in the regular CRE Ministry .

For more information, email the OWL Committee