FAMILY LIFE PROGRAM

In grades 1 through 8 in Ontario Catholic schools, the program used for instruction in Family Life Education is Fully Alive.  Fully Alive is a Family Life Education program sponsored and approved by the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario.

Family Life Education, as it is represented in Fully Alive, is intended to pass on a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family.  Its goal is to complement the efforts of families and to support what parents are doing at home.  The entire program from Grades 1 through Grade 8 is designed to encourage children to become the people God wants them to be -- to be fully alive.

Fully Alive is organized around five themes that are seen as essential to a complete Family Life Education program:

Theme One - Created and Loved by God

The first theme provides the foundation of the program.  We are created in the image of God, and God loves and sustains each one of us.  This theme explores some of the ways in which each person is unique and irreplaceable, yet shares a common human nature with all others.

Theme Two - Living in Relationship

Human beings are created to live in relationships with others.  The bonds of family and friendship, which are explored in this theme, are central in our lives, and shape our identity and development.

Theme Three - Created Sexual:  Male and Female

Sexuality is a fundamental dimension of our identity as children of God.  In this theme, sexuality is presented as a gift from God that is intended for life and love.

Theme Four - Growing in Commitment

God's call to faithfulness is explored in this theme.  Learning to be committed and trustworthy is a life-long challenge that begins in childhood.

Theme Five - Living in the World

Our relationships with others go beyond the circle of family and friends.  Theme five examines what it means to participate in society, and to fulfill our responsibilities to care for and build God's world.