O.W.L. is swooping in for its bi-annual roost. We hope your teen will enter the nest and get comfortable. We have a fabulous four-person, co-ed facilitation team in place waiting to welcome the youth of our church. Many of your children took the grade 8/9 O.W.L. course and some have already taken the grades 10 -12 program. We encourage them to return. The Our Whole Lives life-span human sexuality program is relevant in different ways to different youth at different times depending on who is in their cohort and where they're at in life. Yes, there will be some review of factual material (now that it's likely even more relevant and personally important than before) but there will also be a different and stronger focus on young adult relationships. In most cases, their hormones aren't raging to the same degree they were a few years ago and they can begin to apply serious thought to the choices they will be making when they become more independent. The constant interweaving of our UU principles with the activities and discussion points of the O.W.L. curriculum makes for a powerful and important growth opportunity for senior high schoolers. Parent Orientation is February 10 at 1:00 PM Senior High Our Whole Lives is a 9 session 26 hour course. Please contact our DRE at: 310-829-5436 x108 or via email at dre@uusm.org with questions, comments, to RSVP for the parent orientation or to request child care for the parent orientations.

Our Whole Lives is a series of sexuality education curricula for five age groups: grades K-1, grades 5-6, grades 8-9, grades 10-12, and adults, developed by and used in UU and UCC churches across North America. Our Whole Lives 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, Our Whole Lives provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.

In the 2018-2019 program year our RE program will offer two OWL classes – one for Jr High and one for Sr. High. Classes are taught by co-ed teams of church members who have attended official OWL trainings.   Children may participate only with written permission from their legal guardians and after their guardians have attended mandatory orientation sessions. (For information about the OWL program for adults, contact the Adult RE committee.)

Our Whole Lives Grades 7-9, Second Edition
25 90-minute workshops

A sexuality education program for youth that models and teaches caring, compassion, respect, and justice. A holistic program that moves beyond the intellect to address the attitudes, values, and feelings that youth have about themselves and the world.

• This second edition introduces new content, activities, perspectives, language, and resources for today's young teens. New topics include: body image, social media/internet, bullying/bystander responsibilities, and consent education. Popular activities and discussion topics remain, and users have more options for alternate activities and multi-media resources to accommodate their participants' specific needs and interests. A facilitation guide offers suggestions for including youth with special needs in OWL programs.

Sr. High OWL Senior High Our Whole Lives is a 14 session course. This level has a stronger focus on young adult relationships, media literacy and practice with communicating about power and balance. In most cases, their hormones aren't raging to the same degree they were a few years ago and they can begin to apply serious thought to the choices they will be making when they become more independent. We will also address present-day needs –social media, online porn, identity variance and vocabulary, fake news, etc. Look for information soon for this level that begins in February.

For more information, contact our DRE - dre@uusm.org