By Robin Pugh, Director of Congregational Life

Who taught you about sex? If you were lucky, a kind and understanding parent or relative told you about sex and answered all of your questions as you came of age. Some people learned about it in health class. Many found out about sex from older siblings or peers. Still others learned through hands-on experience.

As Unitarian Universalists, sexuality education is part of our ministry. We have a long and proud history of leadership in promoting comprehensive sexuality education for people of all ages and have offered human sexuality education in our churches for over 50 years. The curriculum series we use is called Our Whole Lives or OWL, as it is affectionately called. It was co-developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ.

OWL offers values-based lifelong sexuality education. Honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, and improves decision making. OWL classes help children and youth clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional and social aspects of sexuality.

Starting February 12th, our grades 1 to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 8 and 9 to 11 classes will all be using OWL curriculum. In class, OWL welcomes participants with differing levels of knowledge and differing viewpoints. It engages participants of all ages in critical thinking, values building, and role-playing exercises. It nurtures a trusting, respectful community in which all participants’ questions are taken seriously and many voices can be heard.

OWL truly puts our faith into action and is a ministry that has an impact that goes far beyond our own congregations. For more information about the “Our Whole Lives” curriculum, I encourage you to visit http://www.uua.org/re/owl/. I am here to answer your questions anytime.

Warmly,
Robin