Our Whole Lives (OWL) Program for 7th and 8th Graders

UU Wellesley offering FREE Our Whole Lives Program (OWL) for 7^th and 8^th graders

during the 2014-2015 school year.

Information Session – Sunday, May, 18, 2014 at 6 pm –

309 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA

In today’s 24/7 instant-messaging-digital-pop-culture age, teens are constantly bombarded with sexual messages that promote unhealthy body images, gender stereotypes, and unrealistic expectations about human relationships. In this atmosphere, there is a real need for teens to have a safe space to develop the knowledge, values and skills that will enable them to lead sexually healthy, responsible lives.  To meet this need, UU Wellesley will be offering Our Whole Lives (OWL) for 7^th and 8^th graders during the 2014-2015 school year.  The OWL program provides an age-appropriate, positive and comprehensive sexuality and relationship curriculum that helps participants affirm and respect themselves as sexual persons (including their bodies, sexual
orientation, feelings, etc.) and respect the sexuality of others.  The program is facilitated by adults with formal training and many years of experience leading this curriculum.

UU Wellesley’s OWL program will take place on non-public school vacation Sundays from 5-6:30 pm October 2014-May 2015.  The program is open to 7^th and 8^th graders in Wellesley and surrounding communities.  Participating youth do not need to be members of UU Wellesley, but we do ask that youth make a commitment to attending the majority of OWL sessions throughout the year, as the curriculum builds on itself and the youth become more comfortable interacting and sharing their views as the group bonds over the course of the program.

The OWL program was developed in cooperation between the Universalist Unitarian Association and the United Church of Christ.  The goals of UU Wellesley’s OWL program are to:

• Increase comfort and skills for discussing and negotiating sexuality issues with peers, 
romantic partners, and people of other generations.
• Explore, develop, and articulate values, attitudes, and feelings about their own sexuality 
and the sexuality of others.
• Identify and live according to their values.
• Increase motivation and skills for developing a just sexual morality that rejects double 
standards, stereotypes, biases, exploitation, dishonesty, and harassment.
• Acquire knowledge and skills for developing and maintaining romantic or sexual 
relationships that are consensual, mutually pleasurable, non-exploitative, safe, and based 
on respect, mutual expectations, and caring.
• Increase knowledge and skills for avoiding unintended pregnancy and sexually 
transmitted illnesses.
• Express and enjoy sexuality in healthy and responsible ways at each stage of their 
development.
• Assess the impact of messages from family, culture, religion, media, and society on 
sexual thoughts, feelings, values and behaviors.

To learn more about UU Wellesley’s OWL program, please plan on attending the parent information session (to be held in UU Wellesley’s Sanctuary) on Sunday, May, 18, 2014 at 6 pm or visit http://uuwellesley.org/our-whole-lives-program.  For questions, contact Congregational Administrator Cyra Coady at info@uuwellesley.org or (781) 235-7423.

UU Wellesley is a liberal religious community located in Wellesley Hills, with members from Wellesley and surrounding towns including Natick, Needham, Newton, Wayland, and Framingham.  We provide religious education (RE) for all ages, with formal weekly programs for K-12^th graders.  UU Wellesley’s RE program has a strong social justice component, with Jr. and Senior youth regularly participating in local, national and international service projects.  For more information about the church and its RE program, please visit http://uuwellesley.org/religious-education/.