1. Our Whole Lives A comprehensive sexuality education curriculum
Created by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries (United Church of Christ)
Material in this presentation includes work of Jane Detwiler and Sarah Gibb of UUA and Monica Bennett and Sylvia Bass West of CUC.

2. Comprehensive Based on the SIECUS* Guidelines
Human Development
Relationships
Personal Skills
Sexual Behavior
Sexual Health
Society and Culture
Written by professional sexuality educators
*SIECUS Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
ALSO SIECCan in Canada

3. Lifespan Education Grades K-1, by Barbara Sprung
Grades 4-6, by Elizabeth Casparian, Ph.D. and Eva Goldfarb, Ph.D.
Grades 7-9, by Pamela Wilson, MSW
Grades by Eva Goldfarb, Ph.D. and Elizabeth Casparian, Ph.D.
Young Adults, by Tino, Gibb Millspaugh and Stuart
Adults, by Richard Kimball

4. Advocacy
The Advocacy Manual for Sexuality Education, Health and Justice: Resources for Communities of Faith, edited by Sarah Gibb
Faith-Based Advocacy
In the community
In the congregation

5. Parent Involvement Parents as primary sexuality educators
Parent orientation
Parent permission
The Parent Guide to Our Whole Lives: Grades K-1 and 4-6

6. Program Leadership Different gender co-facilitators
Training required to teach OWL in our UU faith communities and for purchasing the additional materials (Youth program: slides or video)
Training recommended for secular organizations
Weekend-long training, often done in combined elementary levels, combined youth levels and combined adult levels
Trainers throughout the US and Canada

7. Our Whole Lives is used
Unitarian Universalist and United Church of Christ congregations, along with Sexuality and Our Faith
Synagogues and churches of other faiths, with their individualized faith supplements
Private schools, Home Schoolers
Planned Parenthood affiliates
Other youth-serving agencies

8. Our Whole Lives can be used
Any setting with the staff, the students & the resources for undertaking such a program
Youth Groups
Alternative Schools
Community Agencies
Group Homes

9. What’s different about Our Whole Lives?
The program affirms diversity.
Cultural background
Experience with sexuality
Sexual orientation
Gender identity
Gender roles
Activities speak to a variety of learning styles.
Addresses “hard to teach” topics.
Hard to teach topics: lovemaking, masturbation, homosexuality, bisexuality, gender identity, abuse of sexuality

10. Our Whole Lives Program Assumptions All persons are sexual.
Sexuality is a good part of the human experience.
Sexuality includes much more than sexual behavior.
Human beings are sexual from the time they are born until they die.
It is natural to express sexual feelings in a variety of ways.

11. Our Whole Lives Program Assumptions, Continued
People engage in healthy sexual behavior for a variety of reasons including to express caring and love, to experience intimacy and connection with another, to share pleasure, to bring new life into the world, and to experience fun and relaxation.
Sexuality in our society is damaged by violence, exploitation, alienation, dishonesty, abuse of power, and the treatment of persons as objects.
It is healthier for young adolescents to postpone sexual intercourse.

12. Our Whole Lives Program Values Self Worth Sexual Health Responsibility
Justice and Inclusivity

13. Our Whole Lives OFFERS: Up-to-date information
Honest, age-appropriate answers to all participants' questions with a QUESTION BOX
Activities to help participants clarify values and improve decision-making skills
Effective group-building to create a safe
and supportive peer group
Education about sexual abuse, exploitation,
and harassment
Opportunities to critique media messages about
gender and sexuality

14. Our Whole Lives Acceptance of diversity
Encouragement to act for justice
A well-designed, teacher-friendly leaders' guide
Parent orientation programs that affirm parents as the primary sexuality educators of their children
Sexuality and Our Faith, an optional religious component for UU community

15. Our Whole Lives Content for Elementary OWL K-1 Eight Sessions
Our Wonderful Bodies Part One
Our Wonderful Bodies Part two
Healthy Bodies safe Bodies
Families
Families and feelings
Babies and families
Birth of a Baby
Celebrations

16. Our Whole Lives Content for Elementary OWL Grades 4-6
Time of great change both physically and in emotional maturity . Recommend when possible smaller age groupings grades 4-5 or grades 5-6 or one grade only.
Eight Sessions
Values and Sexuality
Family Relationships
Puberty: Physical and Emotional Changes
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
Lovemaking and Reproduction
Health and safety
Communication
Dating

17. Content for OWL Grades 7-9
Our Whole Lives
Content for OWL Grades 7-9
27 Sessions
Program Outline
Unit One: Group Building and Examining Values
Unit Two: Sexuality and Body Awareness
Unit Three: Gender and Diversity
Unit Four: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Unit Five: Relationships

18. Content for OWL Grades 7-9
Our Whole Lives
Content for OWL Grades 7-9
Unit Six: Lovemaking
Unit Seven: Preparing for Parenthood
Unit Eight: Responsible Sexual Behavior
Unit Nine: Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Unit Ten: Abuse of Sexuality
Unit Eleven: Conclusion

19. Our Whole Lives
Circles of Sexuality
This model helps us understand human sexuality in a broad sense and contains 5 interconnecting circles, each of which represent a component of sexuality.

20. Our Whole Lives Sensuality Awareness, acceptance of,
and comfort with one’s own body;
Physiological and psychological
enjoyment of one’s own body and the
body of others.
Body image, Skin Hunger, Fantasy,
Human Response cycle

21. Our Whole Lives Intimacy
Ability and need to experience
emotional closeness to another
human and have it returned.
Caring, Sharing, Loving/liking, Risk-taking, Vulnerability, Self-disclosure, Trust

22. Our Whole Lives

23. Our Whole Lives

24. Our Whole Lives

26. Toward a Wholeness of Being
For expressing love, generating life, mutual companionship and pleasure. To be celebrated with joy, integrity, understanding, respect, and self-discipline
Adapted from An Open Letter to Religious Leaders about Sex Education. Religious Institute on Sexual Morality,
Justice and Healing

27. For more information
Canadian Unitarian Council offers trainings on a regular basis. Contact the Director of Lifespan Learning.
To order the curricula:
UUA Bookstore,
25 Beacon Street
Boston, MA
, x423