Pioneered by the Unitarian Universal Association and United Church of Christ, the Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a human sexuality program. The curriculum can be divided into six different age oriented programs ranging from Kindergarten to Adults. A variation of the OWL program known as OWL-Out has been adapted by various communities to teach human sexuality.
Communities from Washington and Kansas have utilized OWL as the guide for sex education. In Washington, the Pine Lodge Correctional Center for Women have provided a voluntary class for inmates based on the OWL curriculum. Cynthia Fine, who led the month long workshop, noted that the education fostered "a rich discussion" that reinforced "self-determination and respect for their sexual selves."
In Kansas, OWL-out was an integral part of the sex education taught at Bishop Seabury Academy. Dean of Students, Judith Galas, explained that "students liked and felt comfortable with the class" but parents were concerned. With parental input, the course was eventually re-imagined into "a senior-year ethics class" which became "a senior-year staple" for the school.
More than Sex-Ed also uses the OWL curriculum to provide a customized comprehensive sex education. Our trained staff has worked with students from a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds. Jill Herbertson, co-founder of More than Sex-ed, explains that "In this program, we will present facts, and we will support your family in working through your values." It is important to remember that the OWL and OWL-out instructors seek to "bring progressive, comprehensive, affirming sexuality education" for the participants.
Special shout out to Heather Doyle of UUWorld.org for reiterating the importance of how versatile the OWL program can be throughout the country. She recently interviewed, MTSE co-founder Jill Herbertson, on our OWL oriented services. Check out their page by clicking the title of this blog post!
If you would like to know how More than Sex-Ed incorporates the OWL program in our workshops please visit our website at morethansex-ed.org or sign up for our newsletter to receive more information on our curriculum!
