Facilitator Resources
These resources are for OWL facilitators and families. To suggest additional resources for to ask about OWL program content, facilitation issues, or training, please contact OWL Program Manager Melanie Davis, PhD, at owl@uua.org.
OWL Newsletter
The Our Whole Lives Newsletter provides information and resources for OWL facilitators, program coordinators, parents and others. It’s free! Sign up today!
Sexuality Education Resources for Families
Books and Websites
Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators
Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators is a free curriculum that fosters adult-child communication. It is not part of Our Whole Lives, but it does help adults consider similar to those their children in OWL are learning about. Groups do not require a trained facilitator, and the program can be offered online or in person. Available in both Unitarian Universalist and United Church of Christ versions, the curriculum can be easily adapted for secular use or use with other faith communities.
OWL Taking Flight Webinars
The Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ host monthly educational webinars for OWL facilitators, program coordinators, religious educators, clergy, and others. The topics are related to OWL content but often are not curriculum-specific. The webinar hosts are Dr. Melanie Davis, UUA OWL Program Manager, and Rev. Amy Johnson, UCC Minister for Sexuality Education and Justice.
1st Wednesday of each month, 12:00-1:00 PM ET
OWL Taking Flight webinars explore topics that intersect with Our Whole Lives and Sexuality and Our Faith programs. Co-hosted by the UCC and UUA, these free webinars are created with Our Whole Lives facilitators and program coordinators in mind, while they are also open to the public.
April 5, 2023, Noon-1 pm Eastern Time
REBROADCAST: Building An OWL Program From the Ground Up
Dr. Melanie Davis and Rev. Amy Johnson welcome Kat Good and Jennifer Ringold to share program implementation and growth strategies.
Register even if you cannot attend live, to receive links to the recording and to resources mentioned during the webinar. You'll also receive a link to subscribe to the OWL Newsletter, if you click the option to receive (very limited) email from the UCC.
View recorded webinars:
- Child Safety and Mandatory Reporting (YouTube) with Dr. Melanie Davis, Rev. Amy Johnson, and their guest Dr. Verena Brown, a nationally renown child abuse pediatrician and educator specializing child protection, child physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect.
- "I Heart Orgasms": Pleasure, Sexual Health, and Consent (YouTube) with Dr. Melanie Davis, Rev. Amy Johnson, and their guests Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller, co-authors of the book, I Heart Orgasm, sharing their research and experiences as popular college campus speakers.
- The Importance of Continuing Education in Sex Ed (YouTube) , with with Dr. Melanie Davis, Rev. Amy Johnson, and guest Tanya Bass, PhD for a discussion of Dr. Bass' research and development of the construct of "dispositional humility," i.e., one's commitment to ongoing learning. The following resources were shared during the webinar.
- Beneath the Sweater and the Skin poem
- National Sex Ed Conference
- NCSexCon
- S.L.A.M.
- Amaze
- Amaze Educators Conference
- Answer: Sex Ed, Honestly
- Advocates for Youth
- UUA LGBTQ and Multicultural Ministries
- UCC Trans Resources
- UCC Open and Affirming Coalition
- UUA Resources for OWL facilitators
- UCC Resources for OWL facilitators
- OWL Taking Flight: A New Breed of OWL, Formatting for K-1 and Beyond! (YouTube) , with Dr. Melanie Davis, Rev. Amy Johnson, and UUA Publications Director Mary Benard. Learn about exciting new changes coming to Our Whole Lives and Sexuality and Our Faith that will make using OWL/SoF easier. update content faster, and offer more free resources all in one place!
- You Know, Sex (YouTube) , with Dr. Melanie Davis, Rev. Amy Johnson, and sexuality educator Cory Silverberg, author of "What Makes a Baby," "Sex is a Funny Word," and "You Know, Sex" for children and adolescents.
- Amazing AMAZE (YouTube), with Dr. Melanie Davis, Amy Johnson, and Dr. Rachel Gibson, Amaze Senior Education Manager at Advocates for Youth. We explore the challenges and rewards of providing public-facing sexuality education that young people and families in the US and internationally find empowering, helpful, and fun.
- Autism-inclusive Our Whole Lives (YouTube), with Dr. Melanie Davis, Amy Johnson, OWL Trainers Ramon and Shellie Selove and their son Nathan Selove, a young adult OWL "graduate." Ramon and Nathan are autistic, and the family shares facilitation tips based on their personal and OWL experiences.
- Addressing Anti-LGBTQ+ Initiatives (YouTube) Dr. Melanie Davis and Amy Johnson welcome Rev. Michael Crumpler, Rev. Evin Walter, Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, and Rev. Yadi Martinez-Reyna-- all of whom are on the front lines in the UU and UCC fight for LGBTQIA+ justice. We discuss where OWL fits into national LGBTQ+ advocacy efforts.
- Building an OWL Program From the Ground Up (YouTube) Dr. Melanie Davis and Amy Johnson welcome Kat Good and Jennifer Ringold to share program implementation and growth strategies.
- Introducing An Our Whole Lives Adaptation For Older Adults (YouTube) Dr. Melanie Davis explains how to adapt OWL for Older Adults for online use.
- Under Your Wing: OWL (Our Whole Lives) Taking Flight (YouTube), Introducing videos for parents and caregivers of children in grades K-1, with Dr. Melanie Davis and Amy Johnson.
- OWL Revisions: Flight Status, January 2022 (YouTube), with Dr. Melanie Davis and Amy Johnson.
- Sex Trivia!, December 2021 (YouTube), with Dr. Melanie Davis and Amy Johnson.
- Online Training Sneak Peek AND Ask Us Anything OWL!, October 2021 (YouTube), with Dr. Melanie Davis and Marshall Miller.
- OWL: Why We Do the Things We Do, September 2021 (YouTube), with Dr. Melanie Davis, Anna Bethea, Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer
- Framing Conversations About Restarting OWL Programs, July 2021 (YouTube), with CB Beal, Candace Woods, and Tina Lesley-Fox
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HIV/AIDS: What We Can Learn from the Framework for Dialogue, June 2021 (YouTube), with Rev. Arthur Butler and Rev. Michael Crumpler.
- Consensual Non-Monogamy and Faith, May 2021 (YouTube), with Vyda Ng, Rev. Michael Crumpler, and Gabriela De Golia.
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Trauma-Informed Sexuality Education, April 2021 (YouTube), with Eva Fiallos-Diaz and Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund.
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Handouts (PDF) (including a Word Cloud created by participants in the training) Speakers’ slides (PDF).
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- 5 Tips for Selecting Fabulous OWL Facilitators, March 2021 (YouTube), with Dr. Melanie Davis and Rev. Kelly Burd
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Parents and Caregivers As Sexuality Educators, February 2021 (YouTube), with Robin Slaw
- New Ideas about Intimacy During a Pandemic, January 2021 (YouTube), with James Wadley, Ph.D.
- Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, December 2020 (YouTube), with Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson and Beka Choate of the UCC
Resources from the webinar include: - K-1 OWL Upcoming Revisions, November 2020 (YouTube), with authors Marshall Miller and Dorian Solot
- Racial Justice and OWL, October 2020 (YouTube), with moderator Anil Oommen and panelists Kim Kendrick, Aisha Hauser, and Cedric Harmon
- Gender and Related Language, September 2020 (YouTube)
- Taking Flight webinar, August 2020 (Vimeo) (includes Jackbox demo)
- Taking Flight webinar, July 2020 (Vimeo)
- Taking Flight webinar, June 2020 (Vimeo)
- Taking Flight webinar, May 2020 (Vimeo)
- Check out this FA! (PDF) for up-to-date answers to common about OWL programming during Covid-19, gathered from the Taking Flight webinars.
- Explore our resource list for books, discussion guides, and websites to engage OWL families between in-person meetings.
OWL 7-9 2nd ed. Supporting Resources
- Unit and Workshop descriptions for Our Whole Lives for Grades 7-9, 2nd edition (2014)
- Circles of Sexuality model, revised for new, 2014 edition (PDF, 1 page)
- Special Education Approach to OWL (PDF, 15 pages) is a chapter from the 2nd edition of Our Whole Lives for Grades 7-9 that the UUA provides at no charge online. Find help to anticipate and address the learning needs of autistic youth or attention-related, intellectual, or learning disabilities so these youth may more fully participate and learn.
- Video list (videos that facilitators are likely to show)
OWL Curriculum Updates and Revisions
OWL K-1 2nd ed. Replacement Pages
Please download and print these pages using the 8 ½ x 11 paper size and “print actual size” options on your print screens. Then, hole punch the pages and exchange them for the current pages in your loose-leaf binder. The page numbers will not change. This FAQ answers questions about this new format and tells how to access the Sexuality and Our Faith companion materials.
- March 2023 Workshop 1 Homelink Page 3 (PDF)
- March 2023 Workshop 3 Homelink Page 3 (PDF)
- March 2023 Workshop 5 Page 4 (PDF)
OWL 4-6 2nd ed. Replacement Readings
- 2022: Please refer to this updated list of readings (PDF) from It's Perfectly Normal, 2021 edition. These page numbers differ from those listed in the curriculum, which referenced an earlier edition of the book.
2022 Recommended Updates to OWL for Young Adults, 1st ed.: Since Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education for Young Adults 1st ed. was published, many medical and social understandings about sexuality have changed. The 2nd edition will be available for field testing in 2023. Until then, use this guide (PDF, 8 pages) to mark strongly recommended changes in your copy of the curriculum to make it as accurate and inclusive as possible. If you have questions, contact owl@uua.org.
2020 Recommended Updates to OWL for Adults. Since 2000, much has changed in terms of the language around gender and orientation as well as sexual science and culture. Please use the "Recommended Updates" guide (PDF) to mark strongly recommended changes in your copy of the curriculum to make it as accurate and inclusive as possible. If you have questions, contact owl@uua.org
Sermon: Sexuality Through a UU Lens
Explore the UUA’s long-time commitment to sexual justice and the Our Whole Lives program values of Self-Worth, Responsibility, Sexual Health, Justice and Inclusivity. Written by OWL Program Manager Melanie Davis, PhD, this sermon (PDF) can be used with the recommended readings and closing words suggested within this document.
How to Support Sexuality Education During OWL Program Interruptions
OWL programs may be interrupted or postponed for any number of reasons. We learned a lot during the 2020-2021 pandemic lockdown, and you'll find those recommendations outlined in When You Can't Do OWL... Do This! (PDF) The document includes ways to offer holistic sexuality education without in-person gatherings and includes tips for creating online adaptations.
OWL Email Lists: Community Guidelines (PDF, 1 page) for the Our Whole Lives Facilitators email lists (OWL-Child, OWL-L, OWL-Adult) ensure that communications are helpful and respectful. All email list subscribers are expected to participate in compliance with these guidelines. Trained and approved UU, UCC, and CUC facilitators as well as OWL trainers and those who oversee OWL programs in UCC churches and UU/CUC congregations are welcome to self-subscribe.
Our Whole Lives for Older Adults workshop descriptions (PDF) explain what is involved in this newly developed curriculum that is now included in all Adult OWL trainings as of 2019.
Webinars include best practices for program implementation, new editions, gender inclusion, and making your Our Whole Lives program welcoming to participants of many faiths. Archived webinars are free and available to watch any time. Watch the October 2019 webinar, OWL Community Guidelines and Implementation Tips for Success (Vimeo, 57 minutes).
Our Whole Lives promotional flyers are eye-catching on bulletin boards or as take-home materials. Available for each level of Our Whole Lives, they include OWL values and tables of contents.
Our Whole Lives coloring pages (PDF) created by the United Church of Christ may be used for on-topic doodling during OWL classes. OWL program participants may color in mandala-esque designs that include OWL core values (PDF).
Thank you for your commitment to Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education.
