On September 17th we brought together families from our church, from Tapestry UU in Lake Forest, and from our larger Orange County community for very successful orientation for our upcoming Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education (OWL) classes for grades 4 to 6. This curriculum, developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ, is designed to help children ages nine through twelve gain the knowledge, life principles, and skills they need to express their sexuality in life-enhancing ways. Unlike many other sexuality curricula currently available, this program is comprehensive and progressive. In an inclusive and developmentally appropriate manner, it addresses sensitive topics that are typically excluded from sex ed programs.
From September to December, ten youth will be participating in this vital and life-affirming program. Over ten sessions, they will explore Sexuality and Values, Images in Popular Culture, Body Image, Changes of Puberty, Gender, Feelings and At-traction, Reproduction and Staying Healthy, Decisions and Actions, Consent and Peer Pressure, and Healthy Relationships. They will be guided by our dedicated OWL facilitators: Maria Goode, Jacques Kilchoer, and Rev. Judy Tomlinson. I’m sure you join me in my excitement that we are once again able to offer this program to our community. I am hopeful that the energy behind bringing this class to fruition this fall will continue so that we might be able to offer additional grade levels on a regular basis going forward.
You can find out more about OWL at https://www.uua.org/re/owl
Karen Magoon Pearson is Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church's Director of Religious Education.