What Does OWL Facilitator Training Involve?

PennStateOWL

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Training helps prepare facilitators by developing the comfort, knowledge, and teaching skills necessary for leading a given level of OWL.

Trainings are led by two-person teams of Our Whole Lives trainers who have been trained and approved by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ.

Why OWL Training Is Required

  • It offers the opportunity to see Our Whole Lives activities modeled by trainers as they were intended to be conducted.
  • It gives facilitators a supportive environment to practice teaching actual Our Whole Lives sessions and receive constructive feedback.
  • It gives facilitators important information about the developmental stage of the age group they will be teaching.
  • It allows facilitators to network with other Our Whole Lives facilitators and share ideas about what will and won’t work with their groups.
  • It provides an opportunity for facilitators to examine their own feelings, opinions, and experiences regarding sexuality and spirituality before facilitating.
  • It helps participants better understand how to prepare to teach or to support OWL as advocates.

After their training experiences, program facilitators typically feel enthusiastic, prepared, and confident about the program. They are invited to subscribe to an email network with other Our Whole Lives facilitators to share experiences, resources, and good ideas.

How Are The Facilitator Trainings Organized?

Training are combined into 3 age groups:

  • Elementary: Grades K-1 with 4-6
  • Secondary: Grades 7-9 with 10-12
  • Adult: Young Adult with Adult and Older Adult

Trainings take 22-24 hours over the course of 3 days when in person, and 3 weeks when online, following a few hours of prework.

What Are The Benefits of OWL Facilitator Trainings?

Our Whole Lives (OWL) facilitator trainings enhance:

  • knowledge of an age group and its developmental needs,
  • knowledge about human sexuality,
  • facilitation skills,
  • classroom management skills,
  • understanding of the curriculum’s activities (through participation and peer-teaching)
  • understanding of appropriate boundaries
  • understanding of OWL values and philosophy.

Trainings also offer an evaluation process by which Our Whole Lives trainers, who are experienced sexuality educators, can give feedback to a potential facilitator and to congregational leaders if there are concerns about whether or not that potential facilitator is ready to facilitate an Our Whole Lives program.

Training graduates are provided access to Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) resources: The UUA’s Our Whole Lives email lists are restricted to trained Our Whole Lives facilitators, and only congregations with trained Our Whole Lives facilitators may have access to certain audio/visual materials.