Beginning February 2, 2020, Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church will offer an 8-week Our Whole Lives (OWL) program during the regular religious education class time (Sundays 9:30-10:45am) for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. The secular OWL sexuality education curriculum has been reported by NPR as the best curriculum of its kind.
Registration is required for participation. You can register your child/ren at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4432039.
OWL at our church is self-funded, that is, it is not included in the annual Religious Education budget. This has allowed us to expand the OWL offerings from 7-9 grade OWL to OWL for all ages. We have calculated the true cost (including training, facilitator time, curricula, and materials and supplies) of the K-2 OWL experience and developed a system called "Tiered Pricing," explained at the end of this note.
All OWL facilitators go through intensive training for each level they teach and must be certified by their trainers. We are lucky to have Shannon Beckett, Cindi Huss, Ann Livengood, Will Powell, Sarah Sanders, and Sarah White as facilitators for this program.
Classes will be held on:
· (mandatory orientation) Jan. 18 (guardians AND children)
· Feb. 2 (guardians AND children)
· Feb. 9 (children only)
· Feb. 16 (children only)
· Feb. 23 (children only)
· Mar. 1 (children only)
· Mar. 8 (children only)
· Mar. 15 (children only)
· Apr. 5 (guardians AND children)
The OWL program nurtures and supports the three Rs of early childhood sexuality education—Respect, Relationships, and Responsibility—by helping children increase self-respect and respect for others, build relationships with members of all genders and with many kinds of families, and understand their responsibilities regarding their own health and that of others.
It helps children:
· Strengthen and support their sense of self and self-esteem.
· Recognize and appreciate their bodies as good and beautiful, private and their own.
· Gain understanding and accurate, age-appropriate information about human bodies and reproduction.
· Develop more effective communication skills.
· Learn to make decisions that respect themselves and others and that anticipate possible consequences.
· Learn about healthy habits and what to do when they don’t feel safe or respected.
OWL engages families in open communication about life questions and reinforces guardians’ role as their children’s most important sexuality educators.
Our Whole Lives uses approaches that work. The curriculum is based on the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education produced by the National Guidelines Task Force, a group of leading health, education, and sexuality professionals assembled by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS).
Although developed by two religious organizations, Our Whole Lives is a secular program that contains no religious references or doctrine.
A guardian/child orientation class is required for the child(ren) participants and at least 1 guardian. This orientation will take place on Sat., Jan. 18th, from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm in the main building of Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. A continental breakfast will be provided.
Registration is required for participation. You can register your child/ren at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4432039.
Tiered pricing: Choose your fee
Tier 1 ($35) is a heavily subsidized rate which does not actually cover the true cost of Our Whole Lives. However, we want as many individuals as possible to attend, so we work to provide a subsidy through volunteer time and donors who believe OWL is important. Pay Tier 1 if this is appropriate for your family.
Tier 2 ($55) is a partially subsidized rate. It offsets more of the true cost but not the full cost of OWL. Pay this if it is appropriate for your family.
Tier 3 ($90) covers the true cost of this OWL program. Pay this if it is appropriate for your family.
Finally, for anyone who is unable to pay any registration fee, choose the free option during registration.
Simply choose the Tier that is appropriate for YOU, and know that there is no judgement and no difference in the experience you or your child will receive. And if you decide afterwards that the experience was worth more than you paid you can always make a donation then.
If you would like to pay it forward for others, you can also make a donation to RISE: Healthy for Life at https://risehfl.org/donate.
We are thrilled that our church can offer this to our young people. We urge you to register your child(ren) and plan to attend the orientation session. Please contact Cindi Huss at info@riseHFL.org or 423-250-3046 with any questions you might have.
Sarah White
Director of Religious Education
dre@hvuuc.orgFull DescriptionBeginning February 2, 2020, Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church will offer an 8-week Our Whole Lives (OWL) program during the regular religious education class time (Sundays 9:30-10:45am) for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. The secular OWL sexuality education curriculum has been reported by NPR as the best curriculum of its kind. '
Registration is required for participation. You can register your child/ren at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4432039.
OWL at our church is self-funded, that is, it is not included in the annual Religious Education budget. This has allowed us to expand the OWL offerings from 7-9 grade OWL to OWL for all ages. We have calculated the true cost (including training, facilitator time, curricula, and materials and supplies) of the K-2 OWL experience and developed a system called "Tiered Pricing," explained at the end of this note.
All OWL facilitators go through intensive training for each level they teach and must be certified by their trainers. We are lucky to have Shannon Beckett, Cindi Huss, Ann Livengood, Will Powell, Sarah Sanders, and Sarah White as facilitators for this program.
Classes will be held on:
· (mandatory orientation) Jan. 18 (guardians AND children)
· Feb. 2 (guardians AND children)
· Feb. 9 (children only)
· Feb. 16 (children only)
· Feb. 23 (children only)
· Mar. 1 (children only)
· Mar. 8 (children only)
· Mar. 15 (children only)
· Apr. 5 (guardians AND children)
The OWL program nurtures and supports the three Rs of early childhood sexuality education—Respect, Relationships, and Responsibility—by helping children increase self-respect and respect for others, build relationships with members of all genders and with many kinds of families, and understand their responsibilities regarding their own health and that of others.
It helps children:
· Strengthen and support their sense of self and self-esteem.
· Recognize and appreciate their bodies as good and beautiful, private and their own.
· Gain understanding and accurate, age-appropriate information about human bodies and reproduction.
· Develop more effective communication skills.
· Learn to make decisions that respect themselves and others and that anticipate possible consequences.
· Learn about healthy habits and what to do when they don’t feel safe or respected.
OWL engages families in open communication about life questions and reinforces guardians’ role as their children’s most important sexuality educators.
Our Whole Lives uses approaches that work. The curriculum is based on the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education produced by the National Guidelines Task Force, a group of leading health, education, and sexuality professionals assembled by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS).
Although developed by two religious organizations, Our Whole Lives is a secular program that contains no religious references or doctrine.
A guardian/child orientation class is required for the child(ren) participants and at least 1 guardian. This orientation will take place on Sat., Jan. 18th, from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm in the main building of Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. A continental breakfast will be provided.
Registration is required for participation. You can register your child/ren at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4432039.
Tiered pricing: Choose your fee
Tier 1 ($35) is a heavily subsidized rate which does not actually cover the true cost of Our Whole Lives. However, we want as many individuals as possible to attend, so we work to provide a subsidy through volunteer time and donors who believe OWL is important. Pay Tier 1 if this is appropriate for your family.
Tier 2 ($55) is a partially subsidized rate. It offsets more of the true cost but not the full cost of OWL. Pay this if it is appropriate for your family.
Tier 3 ($90) covers the true cost of this OWL program. Pay this if it is appropriate for your family.
Finally, for anyone who is unable to pay any registration fee, choose the free option during registration.
Simply choose the Tier that is appropriate for YOU, and know that there is no judgement and no difference in the experience you or your child will receive. And if you decide afterwards that the experience was worth more than you paid you can always make a donation then.
If you would like to pay it forward for others, you can also make a donation to RISE: Healthy for Life at https://risehfl.org/donate.
We are thrilled that our church can offer this to our young people. We urge you to register your child(ren) and plan to attend the orientation session. Please contact Cindi Huss at info@riseHFL.org or 423-250-3046 with any questions you might have.
Sarah White
Director of Religious Education
dre@hvuuc.org
K - 2nd Grade O.W.L.