Honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives. For these reasons and more, we are proud to offer Our Whole Lives, a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum, in the winter/spring of 2017 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura (UUCV), for youth grades 10th-12th this year.
Although developed by two religious organizations, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ, Our Whole Lives contains no religious references or doctrine. The program helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior, and equips them 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, secular view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides facts about anatomy and human development, and empowers participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of human sexuality.
Our Whole Lives uses approaches that work, and is widely taught in the United States in both faith based and non-religious settings, including public, charter, and private schools; after-school programs; youth groups; home schoolers; colleges; correctional facilities; and more. The curricula is based on the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education produced by leading health, education, and sexuality professionals assembled by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. For more information about OWL, visit: http://www.uua.org/re/owl/
We begin OWL at the end of January 2018 with a Parent Orientation (Overview of the entire OWL Program) at UUCV from 12:00 -1:30 in the Green Room. We will provide lunch and childcare. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about the program. A calendar of class dates will be available at the orientation. The first class will tentatively begin February 2018.
We require a minimum of ten committed students to offer OWL, which runs for 8 – 14 weeks on Sunday afternoons, except for holiday weekends. This program is open to all children and youth of Ventura County, and friends of UUCV youth/children are especially encouraged to participate. Each participant must commit to attend all the classes, except for cases of illness or emergency. Parents are required to attend the Parent Orientation and to give written parental permission for their child to attend the program. Parents will also be expected to provide a lunch for their student each week and snacks for one session for all students in their child’s class.
To register your child, please contact me at emily@uuventura.org. I encourage you to email with any questions as well. This is fantastic opportunity, and we want as many children and youth to have the chance to participate as possible.
805-644-3898 (x103)
emily@uuventura.org
805-644-3898
administrator@uuventura.org
