Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC)

Special notes about teaching OWL at Rock Spring UCC

The OWL Team asks that leaders not over-commit themselves by volunteering to teach OWL and for other long-term roles working with children and youth.

The OWL Team asks that parents not teach classes in which their children are or could be enrolled.  Because it is the team’s hope that leaders will teach more than one course, it is asked that people considering teaching OWL not teach a grade level that their child is in or will be in within in the next two to three years.

Parent Information

(Taken from www.ucc.org/justice/owl/parents.htm)

Our Whole Lives / Sexuality and Our Faith assumes that parents are their child’s primary sexuality educators. The OWL program is designed to encourage conversation between participants and their parents. In addition, parents have rights and responsibilities in the OWL program as well as roles to play.

Parent Rights

• Parents decide whether their children will participate.  Most parents support sexuality education and very few choose not to have their children participate.
• Permission Forms must be signed by all adults with primary responsibility for the child-including non-custodial parents-before any child or youth may participate in the Our Whole Lives program. There are two kinds of permission forms:

1. A visual form if visuals are going to be used
2. A non-visual form if the visuals are not going to be used

• Parents have the right to see all materials their children will see. This is done in the context of parent orientation session(s) where an open, trusting atmosphere is created, one in which all sincere questions are addressed, one in which there is an open, trusting relationship established and where questions and concerns are welcomed and addressed and no information is withheld.

Parent Responsibilities

• Participate in the Parent Orientation session(s)
• Sign a permission form to enroll their child(ren)
• Make a commitment to regular attendance by their child(ren)
• Help out as needed (providing snacks, transportation, chaperoning, etc.)
• Speak with the facilitators (pastor or religious educator) if you have any concerns or questions at any time during the program

Parent Roles

We affirm that parents are the primary sexuality educators of their children.  Our Whole Lives seeks to open and strengthen communication between parent and child. It directly and indirectly encourages youth to have conversations with their parents about a variety of sexuality issue.  As sexuality educators, parents may want to educate themselves about areas of sexuality they know little about or feel uncomfortable with. Some ways parents can engage in ongoing learning include:

• Start a sexuality education resource library for parents, youth and others
• Participate in a program for parents as sexuality educators at their community health center, Planned Parenthood, etc.
• Explore resources recommended by Our Whole Lives, both websites and printed material
• Start a parents’ support group
• Advocate for the adult sexuality resource: Created In God’s Image
• Participate in and/or advocate for and Open and Affirming program in the church
• Purchase The Advocacy Manual for Sexuality Education, Health and Justice: Resources for Communities of Faith, and excellent resource for use in advocacy efforts in all communities.

Leader Requirements

(Taken from http://www.ucc.org/justice/issues/sexuality_education/frequently-asked-questions)

• A leader should have a commitment to value-based, comprehensive sexuality education. A leader needs to have values (self worth, responsibility, sexual health, and justice and inclusivity) in harmony with the Our Whole Lives programs and goals, and to feel comfortable with his or her own sexuality.
• A leader should be experienced, skilled and comfortable with the specific age group and its developmental needs. A leader needs to stimulate discussion by asking open-ended questions, encouraging communication among participants and facilitating activities that foster experiential learning. A leader needs to use sexual terminology and age-appropriate language comfortably, relate well the age group of participants and convey warmth and a sense of humor.
• A leader should have an anti-bias awareness. A leader needs to understand, appreciate and celebrate diversity of race/ethnicity, culture, age, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation. A leader needs to have the skills to work with people of diverse backgrounds as well as the ability to create a safe and engaging learning environment.
• A leader should be an advocate for sexual health and safety. A leader needs the knowledge and skills, not only to educate about sexual health, but to fulfill the trust inherent in the role of sexuality educator. This role includes the responsibility to recognize and report abuse. The leader must support your church’s safety-abuse policy and must follow your state’s process for reporting and investigating an alleged abuse.
• A leader should have the ability to build relationships. A leader needs to develop a relationship with participants and with their parents. Leaders need to build community in the classrooms and develop relationships of respect, reciprocity and responsibility.
• A leader should be a dedicated learner and leaders. A leader needs to be willing to become thoroughly familiar with the content of the program, to work with a co-leader and to listen to and learn from young people and their parents.
• A leader should be a person of faith. A leader needs to be a person who is respected by the congregation and who is comfortable discussing the integration of sexuality and spirituality with members of the faith community. A leader should be aware of his or her own spiritual and religious grounding.

About the Authors of Our Whole Lives / Sexuality and Our Faith

Elizabeth M. Casparian, Ph.D., co-author of Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 4-6 and Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 10-12 is a health and sexuality educator with more than fourteen years of experience leading workshops, seminars, programs and courses in health, human sexuality and sexual health within university settings, public service organizations and schools. She has a doctorate in educational leadership in human sexuality from the University of Pennsylvania.

Eva S. Goldfarb, Ph.D., co-author of Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 4-6 and Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 10-12, is an assistant professor in health programs at Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. She has more than ten years experience teaching courses, leading workshops, conducting seminars and developing curricula in human sexuality and STD prevention. She holds a doctorate in human sexuality education from the University of Pennsylvania.

The Reverend Patricia Hoertdoerfer, author of The Parent Guide to Our Whole Lives: Grades K-1 and 4-6, co-author of Sexuality and Our Faith: A Companion to Our Whole Lives Grades K-1 (Unitarian Universalist Association companion guide) and Sexuality and Our Faith: A Companion to Our Whole Lives Grades 4-6 (Unitarian Universalist Association companion guide), is a Unitarian Universalist minister of religious education. She has been the Children’s Curriculum Development Director for the Unitarian Universalist Association since 1993. She serves on the Sexuality Education Task Force and is the editor of Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades K-1 and Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 4-6.

Barbara Sprung, author of Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades K-1, is the co-founder and co-director of Educational Equity Concepts, Inc., a national nonprofit organization that conducts research and develops programs and materials to eliminate bias due to gender, race/ethnicity, disability and socioeconomic status. She is the author of curricula and books for elementary school students, including Learning About Family Life, a K-3 program written to meet the New Jersey state mandate for sexuality education in the early grades. She holds a B.A. in early childhood education and an M.A. in child development.

Pamela M. Wilson, M.S.W., author of Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 7-9, has more than twenty years of experience designing, implementing and leading programs in sexuality education, diversity, adolescent pregnancy prevention and responsible fatherhood. She is the author of When Sex is the Subject: Attitudes and Answers for Young Children, Families Talk About Sexuality: A Parent/Child Curriculum, Fatherhood Development Curriculum, and a series of pregnancy prevention curricula published by Girls Incorporated. Wilson is a featured expert in the Media Works video Raising Healthy Kids: Families Talk About Sexual Health. She is a past board member of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.

*Updated March 9th, 2010