About Oak Park Our Whole Lives

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MISSION: Oak Park OWL delivers comprehensive, inclusive sexuality education to youth and their families. We use secular, values-based curricula to provide age-appropriate classes, trainings and workshops

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VISION: Children grow up ready to have healthy, respectful relationships with themselves and others.

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HISTORY: The Oak Park Our Whole Lives program was started in 2016 by two Oak Park working mothers who wanted the Oak Park area to have more options for quality sexuality education. OP-OWL uses trained facilitators and a nationally-recognized, standards-based curriculum to engage in developmentally appropriate discussions about bodies, gender, sexuality, values, health, consent, and responsibility (among other things!) with elementary and middle school students.  Classes are available to students in Oak Park and surrounding areas.

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About the Our Whole Lives curriculum 

OWL is a sexuality education curriculum developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the United Church of Christ (UCC). It is designed to help participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. The Oak Park program is open to people of all faiths and does not include any religious or faith-based content.  

 

Please see our SCHEDULES page to get an idea of what units are involved at each grade level, or come to one of our informational events to take a look at the curriculum itself. 

Our Whole Lives offers

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• Accurate information presented in developmentally appropriate ways

• Affective and emotional learning

• Guiding values and principles

• Activities that help participants clarify values and improve decision-making skills

• A safe and supportive peer group

• Acceptance of diversity

• A social justice approach to inclusive sexuality education

• Parent orientation that affirms parents as their children’s primary sexuality educators

Our Whole Lives values

The program gives clear messages about the following key sexuality issues:

• self worth

• sexual health

• responsibility

• justice and inclusivity

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