Our Whole Lives

LGBTQ Friendly Church - Unitarian Universalist Church of York

OWL: Our Whole Lives, Lifespan Sexuality Education

OWL sexuality education programs change lives.

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 (OWL), a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curricula for use in both secular settings and faith communities.

OWL helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their relationships, sexual health and behavior. OWL provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information about topics including relationships, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and sexual health.

If you have any questions about owl, please reach out to us at owl@uucy.org.

8th/9th Grade Owl

Enrollment

This is a 25-week program that will run Fall of 2024 through Spring 2025. Email owl@uucy.org for information on the next session.

Meetings will be held in the small Youth Group room, upstairs in the Carriage House.

Schedule

Eighth and ninth grade OWL meetings take place on Sunday mornings (after service) from 11:15-12:45. Some will end earlier. 12:45 is the latest time the meeting will end.

Week 1: What Is Sexuality?
Week 2: Examining Values
Week 3: The Language of Sexuality
Week 4: Anatomy and Physiology
Week 5: Concerns about Puberty
Week 6: Body Image
Week 7: Gender Identity
Week 8: Gender Expression/Roles
Week 9: Sexual Orientation
Week 10: Guest Panel
Week 11: Sexuality and Disability
Week 12: Healthy Relationships
Week 13: Relationship Skills
Week 14: Social Media & Internet
Week 15: Bullying and Bystanders
Week 16: Redefining Abstinence
Week 17: Lovemaking
Week 18: Consent Education
Week 19: STI's
Week 20: Pregnancy & Parenting
Week 21: Unintended Pregnancy
Week 22: Contraception/Safer Sex
Week 23: Sexual Decision Making
Week 24: Sexual Communication
Week 25: Celebration, and Closure

11th/12th Grade Owl

Enrollment

This OWL is for eleventh and twelfth graders. It will run in the Fall of 2023, and Parent/Child Orientation will be in September 2023. Email owl@uucy.org to pre-register or for information on the next session.

The fees for this class are $25 for members and $50 for non-members. Payment can be submitted on our giving page.

Scholarships are available to make OWL accessible to everyone. For information on scholarships, email owl@uucy.org.

Schedule

11th and 12th grade OWL meetings take place on Sunday mornings (after service) from 11:15-12:30.

Week 1: All About Our Bodies
Week 2: Care of Our Sexual Selves
Week 3: Making Safer Choices
Week 4: Sexual Development
Week 5: Becoming a Parent
Week 6: Expressions of Sexuality
Week 7: Communication
Week 8: Relationships/Intimacy
Week 9: Unhealthy Relationships
Week 10: Reproductive Rights
Week 11: Power and Control
Week 12: Social Issues-Equality

Our Whole Lives Values:

While Our Whole Lives is secular, it is not value-free. The program gives clear messages about the following key sexuality issues: self worth, sexual health, responsibility, justice and inclusivity

Our Whole Lives recognizes and respects the diversity of participants with respect to biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and disability status in addition to cultural and racial background. The activities and language used throughout the program have been carefully chosen to be as inclusive as possible of this human diversity.

Our Whole Lives covers topics and skills that both parents and children want covered but which schools often exclude or address only briefly. National surveys show that most parents, along with educators and children and youth, want to expand sexuality education. Our Whole Lives is an excellent way to accomplish that goal.

K/1st Grade Owl

Enrollment

This OWL is for kindergarten and first graders or children (5-7). It will run from October to December 2023, and Parent/Child Orientation will be in September 2023. Email owl@uucy.org to pre-register or for information on the next session.

The fees for this class are $25 for members and $50 for non-members. Payment can be submitted on our giving page.

Scholarships are available to make OWL accessible to everyone. For information on scholarships, email owl@uucy.org.

Schedule

Kindergarten and first grade OWL meetings take place on Sunday mornings (after service) from 11:15-12:15.

Session 1: Our Wonderful Bodies
Session 2: Our Wonderful Bodies, Session 3: Healthy/Safe Bodies
Session 4: Families
Session 5: Families and Feelings
Session 6: Bodies and Families
Session 7: Birth of a Baby
Session 8: Celebrations!

Our Whole Lives is used in faith communities across the country, as well as by public, charter, and private schools; after-school programs; youth groups; home schoolers; colleges; correctional facilities; and groups in other settings.

The UUA does an amazing job explaining OWL. To learn more about the program, click here.

Our Whole Lives is informed by the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education produced by the National Guidelines Task Force, a group of leading health, education, and sexuality professionals assembled by the US Sexuality Information and Education Council. In every category of assessment, the curriculum meets or exceeds the National Standards for Sexuality Education Core Curriculum. Contact owl@uucy.org
for more information.

5th/6th Grade Owl

Enrollment

This is a 10-week program that will be available February of 2024. Email owl@uucy.org for registration information.

There will be a Mandatory In-Person/Child at UUCY Parent Orientation Meeting to review course materials.

The fees for this class are $25 for members and $50 for non-members. Payment can be submitted on our giving page.

Scholarships are available to make OWL accessible to everyone. For information on scholarships, email owl@uucy.org.

Schedule

Fifth and sixth grade OWL meetings take place on Sunday mornings (after service) from 11:15-12:30.

Week 1: Sexuality and Values
Week 2: Images in Popular Culture
Week 3: Body Image
Week 4: Changes of Puberty
Week 5: Gender
Week 6: Feelings and Attractions
Week 7: Reproduction and Health
Week 8: Decisions and Actions
Week 9: Consent & Peer Pressure
Week 10: Healthy Relationships

Here are some resources for you and your child:

Pre-K:
The Family Book by Todd Parr

Kindergarten and First Grade:
It's Not the Stork by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberly
What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall
Born from the Heart by Bertha Serrano and Alfonso Serrano
Fertile Love: The Magical Story of how YOU were Made by Debra Doubrava

Fourth through Sixth Grade:
It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberly (provided to OWL students)
The Boy's Body Book by Kelli Dunham, RN BSN
The Girl's Body Book by Kelli Dunham, RN BSN

Seventh Grade through Adulthood:
At Home Sex Ed Resources

OWL firmly believes that the primary sexuality educator for each child is their parent.

How to be an "askable" parent.

Facilitators: