Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
People in the trades say we need to reach the next generation. This episode is about what it takes to stop saying it and actually host a good hands-on experience.
Bryan and Leilani Orr walk through the real work behind a GRIT Camp: choosing a host facilitator, recruiting students and skilled mentors, completing mentor training and background checks, preparing the facility and workstations, gathering materials and PPE, communicating with families, and giving the planning process the 10–12 weeks it usually needs.
A GRIT Camp is a hands-on skilled-trades experience for youth. The program includes modules in safety, carpentry, electrical, brazing, and plumbing, with students learning from working tradespeople.
GRIT provides the curriculum, guides, registration and marketing resources, background-check coordination, and program support. The local host provides the people, place, materials, tools, food, and community connections that make the day work.
IN THIS EPISODE
• What a GRIT Camp looks like
• Host, facilitator, mentor, student, and volunteer roles
• What the host provides and what GRIT provides
• Mentor training and background checks
• Facility, ventilation, and workstation planning
• Recruiting students and mentors
• Materials, tools, PPE, and emergency planning
• Budgeting, lunch, and sponsor support
• A realistic 10–12 week planning runway
• What a well-prepared camp looks like
WHO SHOULD WATCH
• Contractors considering hosting
• Skilled tradespeople considering mentoring
• Schools and community organizations
• Industry companies interested in supporting hands-on trade education
Ready to raise your hand?
Learn more or contact the GRIT Foundation:
thegritfoundation.com
HVAC School provides free HVAC/R training—primarily for techs, by techs.
Start here:
hvacrschool.com/start
#SkilledTrades #Mentorship #HVAC
People in the trades say we need to reach the next generation. This episode is about what it takes to stop saying it and actually host a good hands-on experience.
Bryan and Leilani Orr walk through the real work behind a GRIT Camp: choosing a host facilitator, recruiting students and skilled mentors, completing mentor training and background checks, preparing the facility and workstations, gathering materials and PPE, communicating with families, and giving the planning process the 10–12 weeks it usually needs.
A GRIT Camp is a hands-on skilled-trades experience for youth. The program includes modules in safety, carpentry, electrical, brazing, and plumbing, with students learning from working tradespeople.
GRIT provides the curriculum, guides, registration and marketing resources, background-check coordination, and program support. The local host provides the people, place, materials, tools, food, and community connections that make the day work.
IN THIS EPISODE
• What a GRIT Camp looks like
• Host, facilitator, mentor, student, and volunteer roles
• What the host provides and what GRIT provides
• Mentor training and background checks
• Facility, ventilation, and workstation planning
• Recruiting students and mentors
• Materials, tools, PPE, and emergency planning
• Budgeting, lunch, and sponsor support
• A realistic 10–12 week planning runway
• What a well-prepared camp looks like
WHO SHOULD WATCH
• Contractors considering hosting
• Skilled tradespeople considering mentoring
• Schools and community organizations
• Industry companies interested in supporting hands-on trade education
Ready to raise your hand?
Learn more or contact the GRIT Foundation:
thegritfoundation.com
HVAC School provides free HVAC/R training—primarily for techs, by techs.
Start here:
hvacrschool.com/start
#SkilledTrades #Mentorship #HVAC
