April 2024 Archives - First Tee

71 Coaches Attended Mentor Training

Thank you to the 71 coaches who attended the mentor training. FTSV recently completed the quarterly off-season mentor training for Instructors and Volunteer Coaches. Based on feedback and challenges from the season, the training is tailored to facilitate growth in the returning coaches and bring the new coaches quickly up to speed.

New Mentor Training

Because so many amazing people have joined FTSV to mentor and coach, the quarterly trainings split coaches into a Returning Group and New Group. In the New Coach training, Program Coordinators review the mission of FTSV – to build character and help youth succeed in life – and go through the curriculum with the volunteers. Every week, coaches are teaching a Life Skill, a Golf Cue, and a Golf Ready, and it’s important that everyone knows how these are all connected. Next, volunteers are introduced to games, learning how and why the games are structured and adapted to fit the weeks lessons. FTSV uses specific techniques to change games so there is a seamless integration of that week’s Life Skill and Golf Cue into the fun and exciting activity. After completing this training, volunteers have the skills and the tools necessary to mentor and make an impact on our kids!

Returning Mentor Training

In the Retuning Coach training, feedback is used to design specific review points, allowing FTSV coaches to use their challenges and experiences from the previous season to grow as mentors. In this training, Coaches reviewed Two Rights Make a Right. This is a strategy where coaches provide two positive options for students struggling with their behavior instead of removing them from the learning. They also practiced asking participants “What’s Your Plan?”, a way for coaches to encourage participants to think through their actions and make thoughtful choices. Lastly, the Returning Coaches spent time on the driving range, working on their delivery of the golf cues so that participants will receive similar feedback across classes. Together this training helps the awesome volunteers use the challenges from last season and make themselves more capable and confident going into their next season.

Being a volunteer mentor

The FTSV volunteer coaches are the backbone of our program, and the quarterly trainings use everyone’s unique experiences for the group benefit. When challenges arise, First Tee coaches push themselves to continue learning, to keep a positive growth mindset, and to strive to be the best mentor they can be. From everyone in the FTSV office, thank you very much to all our amazing coaches!

Join our team, learn/develop coaching skills, make a difference in the youth, and give back to the community! Please help us spread the word. The more positive and dedicated coaches, the better the program, and the more impactful it is for our youth.

Read More about becoming a coach and mentor. Download the volunteer brochure HERE.

Published: 4-10-2024

Coach Spotlight: Joe Stuban

In this month’s coach spotlight, we highlight Joe Stuban.

Easy doesn’t change you. For one to grow, there needs to be a challenge to push the change. This is true of our participants, and it is also true of our coaches. Program Coordinator Joe Stuban faced a unique business situation and shared his experience growing through challenges.

Coach Joe began as a participant in First Tee – Silicon Valley and returned as a part time coach before finally becoming a Program Coordinator. He coaches all age levels, including most of the 9^th-12^th grade sessions. When he isn’t on the course, you can find Coach Joe in the office, hard at work coordinating the School Program, among other things. This outreach partner program is important to FTSV as it shares the Life Skill curriculum with large numbers of students at their school, introducing them to our organization and the wonderful game of golf.

Challenge Accepted!

In 2019, FTSV engaged 19 schools to take part in our School Program, but in 2020 the growing School Program came to a screeching halt due to COVID. Schools closed down and many of the school staff that we developed a partnership with left, leaving uncertainty about future collaboration with us. On top of those concerns, the school curriculum had to be adapted to accommodate the changing landscape, including safety protocols. Challenge is where one pushes themself to grow, to learn from mistakes, and to adapt, and that is what Coach Joe set out to do.

Coach Joe shared some of the ways that he feels he grew during this transformational time.

“I learned a lot about myself during this time – how to make adjustments, and how to see progression as a journey and not a straight line. I learned how to be more organized, something that was absolutely necessary during this transition. I learned how to collaboratively communicate with school staff of all levels and picked up new skills in project management, communication, facilitation and delegation During this time, I worked harder than I had ever worked before, determined to turn a challenge into success. What started out as an intimidating, looming challenge ended up being the perfect fuel, just what I needed to push me to be my best self, to rise to the occasion.”

Growing through Challenges

At First Tee – Silicon Valley, the participants are taught how challenge is necessary for growth. We teach tips regarding how to show perseverance, how to see adversity as informative and an opportunity to learn, and how to learn from others. Having the proper positive perspective is necessary to not just overcome a challenge, but to improve from it. These life skill tips are critical for the development of youth, and is just as important as someone gets older. Coach Joe is a testament to how we can make positive outcomes through challenges. By addressing a business challenge – and growing personally in the process – the First Tee – Silicon Valley School Program is in a better place. We now have over 25 schools with strengthening partnerships!

Thanks Coach Joe!

Read More about becoming a coach and mentor. Download the volunteer brochure HERE.

Published: 4-10-2024

Summer Season Registration Opens on May 15th!

Registration for our Summer season opens here on Wednesday, May 15^th at 11am and closes on Thursday, May 23rd at 11:59pm. The 8-week Summer season begins the week of June 4^th and ends August 3^rdwith no classes July 2^nd through July 6th. Register on May 15^th and take part in engaging and fun life skill and golf skill classes at either Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course in San Jose, Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto, or Gavilan College Golf Course in Gilroy.

See you on the course!

The summer schedule is now posted here. Classes are broken down by grade group so feel free to invite a friend and take part in our Summer classes.

Financial aid is available

We make our programs accessible to youth of different backgrounds and perspectives and affordable to families experiencing financial hardship.

Collaborating with Others

Each week our participants experience one of our 6 Life Skills and 6 Golf Cues. Our life skills cover everything from showing respect, to pursuing goals, making good choices, building a positive self-identity, overcoming challenges, and collaborating with others.

Golf is mostly considered an individual sport, but golfers have lots of opportunities to interact and build relationships with others when they play or practice. A typical 9-hole golf round takes 2.5 hours to play and that is plenty of time to develop interpersonal skills and meet new people. In our 1.5-hour classes, our participants learn to communicate and collaborate with their playing partners during our games. They learn what it means to ask open-ended questions, what active listening requires, how to demonstrate sportsmanship, and how to invite and learn from different perspectives. Through golf they work on the skills that help them build friendships and be great teammates.

JOIN US!

We encourage youth 2^nd grade and above to join our program and ask that you help spread the word. For more information click here. Click here to view our program video and learn more from our participants, parents, and coaches!

Published: 4-10-2024

ACE Career Project

First Tee – Silicon Valley is excited to share one of our four Ace Class Projects, the ACE Career Project. In the spring of each year, we offer an 8-week Career planning project for participants 10^th grade and above. Over the course of the season, our participants explore:

Career research into industries and job functions,
Transferable, content, and adaptive skills,
Their own interests & values, & how they map to different career clusters,
Informational interview strategies,
Job shadowing, interviewing, and networking,
Writing their resumes , LinkedIn profile, and cover letters, and
Professionalism and interview skills.

What we teach in the ACE Career Project Class

The goal of the project is to help participants dig deeper into their own interests, skills and abilities, and then provide them the tools to find a match with potential careers. We also teach them how to develop their professionalism and to network in the work place. Career exploration and preparation is a daunting task and we strive to break down the process into manageable steps.

“It’s been my good fortune to teach our Career class for many years now,” said George Maxe, FTSV President & CEO. “Our teens are usually unaware of the endless career options out there and anxious about entering the world of work. We make a special effort to help them demystify both, become more knowledgeable about careers, and build their confidence and optimism about their futures.”

What is ACE and ACE Certified?

All 10th graders and above (new or returning) can take the Ace Career and other Ace classes. However, in order to be Ace-certified, which is the highest First Tee participant honor, participants that have been in our program for more than 3 years may also complete the supplemental Ace course work and submit an application for Ace-certification.

Want to learn more?

In addition to the Career project, we have Golf, College, and Give Back projects. For more information on our four Ace projects please click here, email [email protected], or call 408-508-4884.

Published: 4-10-2024

11 Coaches participate in Level 1 Training

On March 2^nd, First Tee – Silicon Valley had 11 coaches participate in a Level I coach training. The Level I training is one of three First Tee National trainings that make up the First Tee Coach Program. The Coach Program is an educational training program that prepares First Tee coaches from around the country to deliver the First Tee’s Life and Golf Skill Curriculum.

Level I training is done locally, and Levels 2 and 3 are held at different locations around the country. Coach Chris and Coach Manny are both trained to deliver the Level I training for First Tee – Silicon Valley as Level 3 certified coaches and as long-time program staff – over 20 years combined!

The Coach Building Blocks

The Training Program is primarily focused on creating experiences for coaches to learn the application of the Coach Building Blocks – Activity-Based, Mastery Driven, Empowering Youth, and Continuous Learning. Coaches Chris and Manny delivered the Coach Building Block theories and best practices to the attendees who then had the opportunity to apply what they learned by delivering the lessons to each other.

“One of our goals is for coaches and participants to be continuously absorbing and applying newly acquired skills,” says FTSV Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt. “In coaching, we never stop learning. Every class and every participant are different. The more skills we can build, the more we can adapt to each individual and each class situation. That is why we have more than four First Tee – Silicon Valley trainings each year in addition to the National Coach Program that is offered by First Tee Headquarters. The more prepared we are, the better the experience for the participants.”

Want to become a coach?

To learn more about becoming a coach and building your coach skill set, please visit our volunteer page, or reach out to [email protected], 408-508-4884

Published: 4-10-2024