Lily Kunning (Columbus, Ohio’s community herbalist) has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund work on a comprehensive online course for girls and young women to learn about their bodies, sexuality, gender, relationships, and more. “It’s the course we all wish we had growing up,” says Kunning.

“As a girl child, I was not taught the name of all my body parts. I had to learn about sex and relationships through (sometimes bad) experiences. In short, I am not prepared for life as an adult.” continues Kunning. “Given the current state of affairs politically- with women losing civil liberties and autonomy over their own bodies under the law- I knew I had to do something! Given my skillset, creating Maiden Voyage was something I was born to do.”

Kunning is in a unique position to create this class: she is a parent, former middle school and Sunday school teacher, a holistic practitioner focused on wellness through herbalism, and designed in-person and online classes as part of her work. She has been trained as a sex educator over the years including in the Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality curriculum (created by the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist churches)- seen by many as the best currently available.

“The issue with OWL is that it does not reach enough people (people in those churches know about it, but few others) and it is woefully out of date. It does not cover the internet, pornography, BDSM, or even the myriad genders and sexualities kids will encounter in their lifetimes. To be relevant and effective, we need an updated, culturally competent class that is maintained. This is my commitment- to keep it up-to-date.” continues Kunning.

Kunning is excited about making this available online for several reasons:

1. Broad access to anyone with internet access. This makes the class have a huge impact.

2. Affordability. She intends to fund the building of the project with Kickstarter, so that tuition covers hosting, maintenance, and instruction- a mere $20 per month.

3. Confidentiality. There can often be embarrassment, stigma, or shame when asking questions about sex or bodies- and allowing girls privacy (through an online profile) means real questions- ones that need an answer- won’t go unasked.

The Kickstarter has just launched and is running through July 30. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform, so Kunning needs to fund her proposal of $7480 by then or the project will remain in limbo. People interested in look at the curriculum, reading more about the project, or donating can go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maidenvoyage/maiden-voyage-sex-body-and-relationship-education-for-girls/description.