How is Our Whole Lives going in congregations? How many are using it?
As of November 2000 we estimate that about 450 Unitarian Universalist congregations are using at least one component of Our Whole Lives. Each congregation's experience with the curriculum has been unique; however, some common themes have emerged. Overall, parents, teachers, and participants alike have found Our Whole Lives to be an extremely valuable experience. Participants have commented on how well it has prepared them to make healthy decisions. Teachers have commented on how "teacher-friendly" the curriculum is, and how helpful it was to participate in a leader training workshop in advance of teaching. Parents have commented on how Our Whole Lives has helped open up communication between them and their child, and how it has improved their child’s confidence and self-esteem. Religious educators have also reported very positive experiences with the program. However, offering Our Whole Lives, especially the Grades 7-9 curriculum, which is the most time-intensive of the series, does take a strong commitment of time, energy, money, and volunteer power on the part of the congregation. Some religious educators have found it challenging to gather together these essential elements, either because of tight religious education budgets, limited volunteer time, or schedule conflicts on the part of participants (shared custody and soccer practice are common participant scheduling challenges). When the time, energy, budget, and volunteers have been in place, Our Whole Lives has been very successful.Last updated on Monday, June 4, 2007.
