Northlake offers Our Whole Lives (OWL) for grades k-1, 4th – 6th, 7th – 9th, 10th – 12th, and adults.

We rotate which classes we offer each year. In 2024-2025, we will be offering Our Whole Lives for 8th-9th graders in January – May 2025, and we plan to offer OWL for 5th-6th graders in the spring. To sign up to receive updates about OWL registration, please email Margaret Rogers, Dir Lifespan RE.

What is Our Whole Lives (OWL)?

Our Whole Lives is a lifespan sexuality education curricula for six age groups: grades K-1, grades 4-6, grades 7-9, grades 10-12, young adults, adults, and older adults.

Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides accurate, age-appropriate factual information while also helping participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior.

When and where will it be held?

OWL for our secondary classes will be held at the Northlake campus on Sunday afternoons and occasional Saturday evenings. The exact schedule is available upon request. Please email Margaret Rogers, Dir Lifespan RE for more details.

Costs?

We do not charge a registration fee for OWL as we believe it is part of Northlake’s mission to provide this important education to our congregants and community. We gratefully accept donations from anyone who would like to support this vital program.

Why?

Northlake supports the OWL program and offers these classes because we believe in the values OWL teaches – self-worth, sexual health, responsibility, justice and inclusivity. We believe that our children are safer and healthier when they have developmentally-appropriate information about sexuality and relationships presented in a way that aligns with our Unitarian Universalist values. Most importantly, the OWL program supports parents as their children’s primary sexuality educators. Whether or not you choose to enroll your child in the OWL class, you may find the resources and materials useful for your family. Please contact Director of Lifespan Religious Education Margaret Rogers by email if you would like to view the curriculum.

For more information about the Our Whole Lives program, please see the Unitarian Universalist Association’s OWL pages on their website.

How?

Registration for the 8th-9th grade program is open now. Please use this online form to register. If you would like to receive our OWL updates for registration for other levels, please email [email protected] to be added to our mailing list.

Covid-19 Precautions

Northlake is committed to mitigating risk as best we can. All OWL classes will follow Northlake’s Covid-19 policies in effect based on local conditions. In addition, we will be using spaces with good ventilation, and we will be asking that each family confirms that no one is experiencing symptoms of contagious illness when they are gathering in-person. If you have specific questions about our risk mitigation strategies, please contact Margaret Rogers.