San Francisco, United States: Twenty-four girls from First Tee chapters across America will attend the John Deere Drive Your Future Academy.

From June 6-10, the all-girls professional development academy is hosted by First Tee and John Deere and focuses on empowering the girls to leverage opportunities available through their participation in golf and First Tee, and recognise the importance of building a strong network. 

Throughout the week-long academy the girls, aged between 15 and 18, will participate in interactive workshops and hear from keynote speakers, including retired Rear Admiral and First Tee Board Member Marty Evans on a variety of topics designed to inspire and help them as they plan for the future.  

In addition, they’ll play golf at the Olympic Club Ocean Course where they will build upon their connections with other participants from around the country and hear different perspectives from their peers. The participants will stay in dorms and experience a college campus at San Francisco State University.

The event reinforces First Tee’s commitment to empowering girls through its programmes, which are offered through 150 chapters in 1,400 golf course locations.

More than 80 per cent of chapters offer dedicated programming for girls, intentionally inviting and engaging them in a variety of opportunities. Girls who stay in First Tee programmes have the opportunity to apply for all national events, including Drive Your Future.

“At John Deere, we run so life can leap forward,” said John Watson, First Tee Manager at John Deere, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“That includes partnering with organisations like First Tee to provide life-changing opportunities for today’s youth. It is an honour to celebrate our fifth anniversary of the Drive Your Future academy and we are thrilled to help develop the leaders of tomorrow,”  added Watson.

The teens were selected for the Drive Your Future Academy through a national application process based on essays, letters of recommendation, and involvement in First Tee and other activities. 

John Deere is a Trustee of First Tee and has supported the organisation since 2012.

First Tee is a youth development organisation celebrating 25 years of teaching life skills and helping kids and teens build their strength of character through golf.

The John Deere Drive Your Future Academy is one of several national opportunities provided by First Tee Headquarters to encourage and motivate participants as they progress through the programme and toward higher education opportunities.