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Twenty-five years after the launch of the OWL (Our Whole Lives) sexuality education curriculum, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ are marking the anniversary by signing a new Memo of Understanding to guide the program into the future.
The memo, announced May 6, is a celebration of the twenty-five-year milestone, a recommitment to the program’s goals, and an announcement of plans to improve and invest in OWL in the future.
The OWL program, founded in 2000 by the UUA and UCC, offers accurate, developmentally appropriate sex ed for learners in seven different age groups. The program takes a holistic approach to topics such as relationships, gender identity, sexual health, and more, with a curriculum that can be taught in secular settings or faith communities.
OWL’s goals include dismantling stereotypes, building self-acceptance and self-esteem, fostering healthy relationships and decision making, and supporting parents to be their children’s primary educators around issues of sexuality.
As part of the renewed partnership, the two groups agree to provide ongoing leadership and development support for the OWL program. This includes making a significant investment in “co-owned curricula and related OWL resources,” engaging in regular evaluation of all aspects of OWL programming, and offering training for OWL facilitators. The memo contains an agreement to collaboratively develop all aspects of OWL programming, as well as accompanying faith-based curricula.
The UUA and UCC have also unveiled a new logo for the twenty-fifth anniversary. It features an owl with seven feathers in its wings, one for each age group taught in OWL. The four feathers in its tail represent each of OWL’s four core values: self-worth, sexual health, responsibility, and justice and inclusivity.
Read the announcement on uua.org.
UU World Honors OWL’s 25th Anniversary
Learn how Our Whole Lives got started, what the plans are for its future, and how participants feel about its impact on them.
UU World’s Spring/Summer 2025 issue includes an OWL retrospective, written by Senior Editor Elaine McArdle, that offers insight into the program’s future. That story is available online.
McArdle interviewed key leaders, including Melanie Davis, OWL program manager at the UUA for the past fourteen years, who says the “curriculum is needed now more than ever.”
“When we see the increasing number of states eliminating or severely cutting back on sexuality education or banning books and conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation, it’s important to have an outlet like OWL.”
UU World also highlights three OWL participants who share how the curriculum impacted their lives for the better.
The Spring/Summer issue was mailed to subscribers in early April. Check uuworld.org for the latest Unitarian Universalism news and inspiration!