Our Whole Lives (OWL)
Our Whole Lives (OWL) is sexuality education that fosters informed, responsible, and values-based decisions about sexual health and behavior. Our Whole Lives provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information about a range of topics, including relationships, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, sexual health, and cultural influences on sexuality.
MVUUF offers lifespan OWL programming on a rotating schedule.
2026-2027: Adult OWL
2027-2028: 4-6th OWL in the Fall, K-1 OWL in the Spring
2028-2029: 7-9th Grade OWL
Find out more about about the curriculum and offerings here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When does OWL meet?
A: 7th-9th Grade OWL meets Sunday mornings from 10am-12pm September-December (10 sessions). Also, there is one orientation in the Fall.
A: Adult OWL meets one Sunday a month beginning at Noon.
Q: What will my child learn?
A: We will share more information with you as well as give you access to more curriculum materials. Parents are their child’s first teacher. We are supporting you.
Q: How do I register for OWL?
A: Thank you for your interest in our OWL program! Please fill out our visitor form to get future emails about OWL and other programming. You may also check back. Email Maria@mnvalleyuu.org with questions.
Q: Does everyone need to be at OWL every time it meets?
A:You receive the information and experiences that you take part in. 7-9th grade OWL as an international curriculum suggests that families plan that their child(ren) not miss more than three sessions. With that being said, we understand that life happens. The sessions are set up independently. You do not need to have experienced the previous session, to benefit from the next. We can send out a summary email of the previous session and information/resources for the upcoming session.
Q: Do youth get more comfortable with the material as the course goes on?
A: Yes! Giggling and feeling awkward are normal, especially the first sessions. Becoming comfortable with the material is built into the lessons.
Q: How many people will be in an OWL group?
A: For K-1, 4-6th Grade and 7-9th Grade OWL, there will always be at least two unrelated OWL trained adult facilitators in the room. For adult OWL there will be at least one trained facilitator. OWL groups range in size from 6-14 participants.
Q: How many people will be in an OWL group?
A: There will always be at least two unrelated OWL trained adult facilitators in the room. OWL recommends 10 youth per group. If we have more than 16 youth registered, we will have two groups.
Q: When I went to sexuality education classes as a youth, we separated into two groups – boys and girls. Is that something that happens in OWL?
A: No, we know that it is beneficial to learn all of the material. In a binary world, it is understandable to imagine that being in separate groups could give people freedom to ask questions of others who have the same gender identity as you. OWL has a question box: a way to ask anonymous questions at the end of one class that will be answered at the beginning of the next
Q: From the perspective of a parent who has had a child participate in OWL, do you have any words of advice?
A: All the topics taught in OWL are things I want my child to know. It was important for my child to see the different points of view presented in OWL.