OWL Training

Post-Symposium: OWL Facilitator Training - In Person

Sunday, May 21, 2:00  pm ET – Tuesday, May 23, 3:00 pm ET


Become a facilitator for Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education. OWL facilitator training provides theoretical and hands-on training to lead the Our Whole Lives programs for children, youth, or adults. We welcome those from outside the Unitarian Universalist tradition who would like to run OWL programs in schools, camps or other settings. This training is a requirement for using OWL curricula and materials.

All three training programs will be held at Algonquin College and First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa. They are open to Canadians and Americans. Please check the travel page for directions to and from the college and First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa.


We need a minimum total of 30 participants across all three programs to register by May 1 for the training to proceed. Please do not book non-refundable travel until the training program is confirmed. We do not anticipate having childcare available for these training sessions. If you require childcare, please get in touch with Rev. Danielle Webber before you register. 

Requirements: 

Potential facilitators must be at least 21 years old to register for training, and at least four years older than the oldest participant in their program for all levels except Young Adult, Adult, and Older Adult. Criteria to consider in OWL facilitators. 


Participants must attend the whole training session and complete the group teaching activities in order to be approved as an OWL facilitator.  Additionally, there will be 3.5 hours of work to be done ahead of the in-person training. You will receive details about this in an email from the trainers three weeks prior to the training.

Note: If you are registering for both the CUC Symposium and OWL Facilitator training, in order to be approved for facilitating the program, you will be missing the multigen activities and closing ceremonies on Sunday afternoon.


Location: Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario &  First Unitarian Church of Ottawa, 30 Cleary Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario

Sunday evening will happen on Algonquin College Campus. Monday and Tuesday will be happening at First Unitarian Church of Ottawa. 

Note: The Algonquin campus is roughly a 15-minute drive from First Unitarian Church of Ottawa and 45 minutes on public transit.
See the Travel page for more information

Cost: $300 CAD for participants attending the CUC symposium, $350 CAD for participants only attending the OWL training (to cover the cost of Sunday night dinner, which is part of the symposium banquet) 

Fee includes:

Three training days and all handouts

        Four meals: Sunday dinner, Monday lunch and dinner, Tuesday lunch, snacks and coffee/tea during the weekend

Required Material: Participants must bring their own OWL books for the levels they hope to teach. Please check in with your congregation to see if they have books available, or if books need to be purchased. You will find a list of necessary resources below associated with each level. All materials are available at the Unitarian Universalist Association bookstore.


Registration: To register for OWL Facilitator training, fill out the OWL facilitator training registration form.
Registration is open until May 1, 2023,  at 12:00 am ET (find your local time). 


Accommodation: Some home hospitality is available with members of local congregations. Participants can also stay in residences on the Algonquin Campus. Visit the accommodations page for more information.

Additional Details - Required Readings and Trainer Bios

Children’s Program (K-1 & Grades 4-6)

Materials Required:

Trainers

Rev. Chris Wulff
Rev. Christopher Wulff has been leading peer sexuality education programs since 1999, including every level of Our Whole Lives. He has previously served as Minister of Westside UU Congregation in West Seattle, and worked for the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Pacific Western Region. A cradle UU who grew up at First Unitarian Congregation in Toronto, Rev. Christopher lives in Vancouver with his wife Ariel Hunt-Brondwin (who used to work for the CUC), their two kiddos Rowan and Benjamin, and new puppy Hershey. 

Monica Bennett

Monica has been an active trainer of all the Our Whole Lives curricula since 1999. She has a rich and diverse background in sexuality education, reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS, sexual & gender justice; health promotion; tobacco control; equity, diversity & inclusion; and organizational development in the not-for-profit sector & within UU circles.

She became a Unitarian Universalist in 1997 and has had roles both big and small in the life of her home congregation – the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton, Ontario - since then.

She is married, has two adult children and one cat - who has become the mayor of their street.

Youth Programs (Grades 7-9 & 10-12)
Materials Required: 

Trainers

Liz Roper
Liz Roper grew up Unitarian in the UK and has served as a director of religious education in Europe, US, and Canada. Her interest in sexuality education was inherited from her mother who taught sex education in schools in the UK. She was lucky enough to be trained as an adult OWL facilitator and then trainer of all levels, while she was serving First Unitarian in Ottawa. She now works and resides in a boarding school in Toronto, in her "spare time" she is completing a Master's of Education, supporting various UU groups remotely, creating stained glass art pieces, and walking Derby her dog.

Rev. Samaya Oakley

Rev. Samaya Oakley (she/hers) currently serves as a minister for South Fraser Unitarians on the lands of the Semiahmoo First Nations people, otherwise known as Surrey, BC. Prior to becoming a minister, she was the Youth Program Coordinator for 15 years where Our Whole Lives became part of her portfolio. During that time, the OWL offerings in the congregation went from just one level (Junior High) to all four levels in the elementary and youth programs for Our Whole Lives. Samaya’s love of sexuality education is reinforced each time she facilitates a training or a program. She loves how at each level of the curriculum participants are given the tools to clarify their own values and apply them to their own lived experiences so that each person can grow into the fullness of who they are.

Adult Programs (Young adults, Adults and Seniors)


Materials Required: 

Trainers:


Melanie Davis

Dr. Melanie Davis, CSC, CSE is the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Our Whole Lives Program Manager and is a trainer for all levels of Our Whole Lives/Sexuality and Our Faith. She wrote Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education for Older Adults and the UU version of Sexuality and Our Faith: A Companion to Our Whole Lives for Grades 7-9, 2nd ed. She has a doctorate in Human Sexuality Education and is an AASECT-certified sexuality educator and counselor in private practice. She speaks in UU pulpits in the United States and Canada on issues including life change, trauma response, grief, sexuality, and spiritual growth.

Rev. Amy Johnson

Rev. Amy Johnson (she/her), MSW, CSE, LICSW serves as Minister for Sexuality Education and Justice in the national setting of the United Church of Christ. She is a trainer for all levels of Our Whole Lives/Sexuality and Our Faith nationwide. Internationally, Amy has been a partner in interfaith efforts to bring faith-based sexuality education to both Christian and Muslim communities. Amy is passionate about helping faith communities integrate conversations about healthy sexuality as a part of being and becoming healthier places to belong. She co-authored Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education for Grades 4-6, 2nd ed. and The Parent Guide to Our Whole Lives Grades K-1 and Grades 4-6, 2nd ed.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a progressive, comprehensive lifespan sexuality education program offered by many of our congregations. Based on the principles of self-worth, sexual health, responsibility, justice, and inclusivity, OWL helps people of all ages make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behaviour. The program provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information about a range of topics, including relationships, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual health, and cultural influences on sexuality, and affirms parents and caregivers as their children’s primary sexuality educators.


Download the CUC’s OWL pamphlet