Our Whole Lives is the result of seven years of collaborative effort by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the United Church of Christ's (UCC) Board for Homeland Ministries.  The UUA and the UCC share the assumption that religious communities must take an active role in the promotion of education and justice in human sexuality.  OWL is about much more than just anatomy and health.  It is also about values, respect, emotions and justice.  OWL helps participants develop and articulate their religious and sexual values and make responsible, healthy decisions based on those values.  The curriculum is interactive, meaning that the participants engage in dialogue, role-playing and game playing, rather than listening to lectures.  A complete curriculum is available for review.  The DRE is available to consult with parents to design a program suited to their teen's needs regarding OWL participation.  Mandatory parent OWL orientations are offered twice a year before the program begins in the fall.  Contact DRE for details.
 

The Coming of Age (COA) program offers youth in grades 7-9 the opportunity to explore their own spiritual and religious beliefs, and their Unitarian Universalist heritage as they prepare to become junior members of the congregation.  The transition from childhood to adolescence is an exciting time in the life of our youth.  We offer a challenging, inspiring and fun two year program to help our UU teens navigate through an often tumultuous period in their lives.  This year COA youth will meet two Sundays a month.  Coming of Age graduation requirements are listed below.  Each child will have a file to keep track of their progress.

1. Attend Sunday sessions twice a month
2. Complete 24 volunteer hours in the community
3. Complete 24 volunteer hours in the Fellowship
4. Complete a statement of belief which will be shared at the graduation celebration on LRE Sunday

This year youth will explore world religions using the “Neighboring Faiths” curriculum. They will have an opportunity to choose which religions to explore and which houses of worship to visit. This is a challenging, interactive curriculum which provides many opportunities for youth leadership and decision making. Neighboring Faiths (NF) will meet twice a month and will include all middle and high school youth.