In a fast-paced world where people are inundated with information from countless media sources, trained experts, self-proclaimed gurus, social media, and a rapidly growing self-publishing industry that doesn’t necessarily abide by quality standards, self- and outside regulation, or sufficient peer review, finding accurate, reliable information from qualified and trustworthy sources can be a challenge. Nowhere is this more evident and potentially damaging than in the life and relationship skills education of our youth.
As part of its commitment to make relevant and reliable information available to youth and families, First Church in Sterling is offering Our Whole Lives (OWL), a comprehensive sexuality education program developed over 40 years ago by the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Association, and intended for use in both secular settings and faith communities. Over four decades, the curriculum has been fine-tuned to reflect the ever-shifting challenges and concerns young people face. OWL is nationally recognized and prized as a value-based program that focuses on guiding teens in learning respect for the human body, and respect for one another, thus forming the basis for a healthy, safe, and responsible approach to sexuality.
Reverend Megan Lynes, Minister of Faith Formation at First Church, is not only the program’s facilitator and an instructor, but a beneficiary as well.
“I took the course when I was a teenager, and found it to be profoundly affirming, life-changing, and useful in so many practical life-long ways,” she says. “We’re offering it here because we want to give young people a chance to talk about what is really important to them, decisions they’re facing, and challenges many youth face alone. The OWL program gives young people and their families an invaluable network of support.”
Lynes emphasizes that affirmation of each person’s self-worth and identity is a major component of the program. While not abstinence-based, the course encourages young people to wait until they are in a position to make informed choices and decisions.
“OWL supports young people to make good decisions, and ask themselves, ‘Am I making a short-term or one-shot decision that’s going to impact the rest of my life?’” says Lynes.
The upcoming program is being offered to seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students, and will begin on October 7 and conclude in May 2019, with breaks for holidays and school vacation weeks. Most groups are mixed gender and have from 10 to 18 participants. The program is free of charge, but may include a small fee for materials. Participants meet every Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. Five trained instructors – Ann Taft, Walt Andrews, Katy Fazio, Mary-pat Bailey, and Lynes – rotate to teach a curriculum that offers something new in each session.
The 25 lessons that make up the program are based on core values that include self-worth, sexual health, responsibility, justice and inclusivity. Topics cover a broad range of subjects, such as body image, gender identity, sexuality and disability, healthy relationships, relationship skills, responsible sexual behavior, and more. The program recognizes and respects the diversity of participants with respect to biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and disability status. The activities and language used throughout the program reflect human diversity, with an emphasis on presenting accurate information in developmentally appropriate ways. One of the program’s most significant goals is “to help young people to set their own moral compass,” says Lynes.
“Young people are going to get messages about sex, alcohol, and everything else, in all kinds of ways that we can’t control. By creating a respectful and non-judgmental place to provide information and answer their questions, they get to learn with peers and gain the skills they need to make healthy choices. If we, as parents and caregivers, want to support our children, we need to find a good place for them to learn, and this program gives us that resource.”
There will be an orientation session for parents on Wednesday, September 12, from 7 to 9 p.m., at First Church in Sterling. Registration is open to all families in Sterling. Deadline for registration is September 5. To register, visit fcsterling.org. For more information, contact Pastor Megan Lynes at RevMeganLynes@gmail.com or call the First Church at 978-422-6657.