OWL About It: October 2020

Wherever you are when you are reading this, we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well cared for. Here are our fall highlights:

• National OWL staff in the UCC and UUA continue to recommend that everyone consider your local and regional recommendations, denomination recommendations, as well as CDC recommendations, about gathering safely in groups before restarting any Our Whole Lives programs in person. This is in alignment with the Our Whole Lives value of RESPONSIBILITY.

• The recording of our most recent webinar “OWL and Racial Justice” is available here uua.org/re/owl/facilitators and here https://www.ucc.org/owl. We continue to offer monthly webinars (usually the first Wednesdays at 9:00 am PT, 10:00 am MT, 11:00 am CT, and 12:00 pm ET). If you are not able to join us live, please know these webinars are recorded and links are available at www.uua.org/re/owl/facilitators and https://www.ucc.org/owl.

• NOTE DATE CHANGE: Our November webinar will be on the SECOND Wednesday: November 11^th. Our guests will be Marshall Miller and Dorian Solot, authors of the upcoming revisions to the K-1 curriculum. They’ll also have tips for how to engage in developmentally appropriate sexuality education for these ages while things are still shut down. Register here: ttps://UCC.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KUyXdCNoRHysR3rDENudyw.

• On our December 2nd webinar, our topics will include how the Our Whole Lives values intersect with Thursdays In Black, a movement of the World Council of Churches focusing on resilience of and solidarity with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and how Our Whole Lives focuses on healthy relationship skills. Special guests will include Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, UCC Associate General Minister for Wider Church Ministries & Operations and Co-Executive for Global Ministries, and Rebekah Choate, UCC Global Ministries Associate for Global Advocacy and Education. Register here: https://UCC.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V8lmrDjYQAWMFhfJ7uovOg.

• To watch an Issue Education Webinar on Gender and Sexuality that is part of the UCC Our Faith Our Vote campaign, and featuring some prophetic female voices, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5v5OP6nz4I&feature=emb_title.

• To read Witness for Justice pieces written by Amy Johnson, Minister for Sexuality Education & Justice re the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, go here: https://www.ucc.org/all_choked_up_09242020 and about the intersection of racial equity work and OWL, go here: https://www.ucc.org/words_10152020.

• Here’s a story about an album for trans and nonbinary kids and adults: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/13/901747509/a-new-childrens-album-celebrates-kids-who-identify-as-transgender-and-nonbinary.

• OWL Online? We continue to develop resources to help folks offer OWL-based or OWL-informed programs online.
  • For K-1, be sure to tune in (or watch later) our November webinar with Marshall Miller and Dorian Solot.
  • For Grades 4-6 and 7-9, please consult the latest edition of When You Can’t Do OWL, Do This!
  • For Grades 10-12, the upcoming 2^nd edition will be available in 2021.
  • Consider running a Parents and Caregivers As Sexuality Educators small group program while you await the ability to meet in person with youth. It is available for FREE as a download here: https://www.uua.org/families/sexuality-educators This has potential to provide education for adults in your congregation and build support for your upcoming OWL programs.

• We are working to incorporate a more intentional anti-racism lens into Our Whole Lives curricula and training. This work is in process. In the meantime, please see our new Anti-Racism resource section for families.

If you have questions, please contact Amy Johnson, UCC Minister for Sexuality Education and Justice, at JohnsonA@ucc.org or Melanie Davis, UUA Our Whole Lives Program Manager, at mjdavis@uua.org. We remain in service and in solidarity with you!