Our Whole Lives (OWL) : Lifespan Sexuality Education
Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a secular, comprehensive sexuality education program that empowers youth to make informed, responsible decisions about their sexual health and relationships. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, OWL participants are provided honest, age-appropriate information in interactive ways, through crafts, discussion, role plays, games, etc. Participants build self-esteem, clarify their values, strengthen interpersonal skills, and explore the emotional and social dimensions of sexuality.
While OISHA currently offers curriculum for middle schoolers, the OWL curricula offer sexuality education for people from kindergarten through elder adulthood. Originally developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association in the 1970s and updated in the 1990s in collaboration with the United Church of Christ, OWL is grounded in the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS).
OWL is currently open to any Orcas kid, grade 6 - 8. We meet throughout the fall and winter and cover six key areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture.
New cohorts begin in the fall and are facilitated by trained community members. Interested in becoming a facilitator or enrolling your student? Reach out!
Anatomy projects from 2024 cohort
OWL Program Assumptions
We believe that all people have the right to:
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Ask any questions they have about sexuality.
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Receive complete information about sexuality.
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Explore any issues of sexuality that interest them.
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Have support in making their own decisions about sexual matters.
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Learn how sexuality can be expressed in ways that are healthy and life affirming.
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Be treated with respect by leaders and participants in this group.
We also believe that:
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All persons are sexual. Sexuality is a good part of the human experience.
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Sexuality includes much more than sexual behavior.
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Human beings are sexual from the time they are born until they die.
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It is natural to express sexual feelings in a variety of ways.
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People engage in healthy sexual behavior for a variety of reasons, including: to express caring and love, to experience intimacy and connection with another, to share pleasure, to bring new life into the world and to experience fun and relaxation.
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Sexuality in our society is damaged by violence, exploitation, alienation, dishonesty, abuse of power and the treatment of persons as objects.
Teen Reps
OISHA Teen Representatives are high school students dedicated to promoting sexual health and well-being among their peers. They give presentations on important topics like contraception, using condoms correctly, getting tested for STIs, and building healthy relationships. Teen Reps are also trusted, confidential resources for classmates who want to learn about services- whether that’s booking a birth control appointment, picking up free pregnancy tests or Plan B, or connecting with a supportive adult.
The group meets every Wednesday during the school year at the Peach Pit from 2:30-3:30, where teens earn community service hours, share snacks, and join a positive, supportive community making a difference on Orcas Island. Interested in joining? Feel free to pop into the next meeting!
“OWL opened my mind up. I am more conscious of how other people feel and I am more comfortable around people different than me.”
Henry Miller, 2014 OWL Student
"Teaching classes to students a few years younger has always helped me boost my self esteem because you can be your authentic healthy self while being a role model to peers"
Gracyn Chamberlain, 2024 Teen Rep