Becoming a GRIT Host or Mentor w/ Leilani

Key takeaways

GRIT Camps are community-focused, hands-on events designed to introduce youth to skilled trades through mentorship and practical activities.
Hosts are responsible for logistics, venue, and participant recruitment, while GRIT provides curriculum, guides, and staff support.
Mentors must complete a certification course and pass background checks, with early certification recommended for planning and safety.
Preparation involves securing space, materials, safety planning, and early registration to ensure smooth execution.
Sponsorships and community outreach can offset costs and enhance the event's impact and publicity.
Passion, enthusiasm, and thorough planning are key to creating a successful, inspiring camp experience for both students and mentors.

Summary

Introduction to GRIT Camps and Their Purpose

This section introduces the concept of GRIT Camps, which are community-based, hands-on events designed to expose youth ages 12–17 to skilled trades like safety, carpentry, electrical, brazing, and plumbing. Hosted by trade organizations and contractors, these camps facilitate mentors—qualified tradespeople who undergo certification—working with students to complete modules covering different trades, including tool use, blueprint reading, and HVAC component disassembly. The emphasis is on engaging youth through practical activities to foster interest and mentorship in the skilled trades.

Roles, Responsibilities, and Planning for a GRIT Camp

The podcast details the various roles involved in a camp, including the host (a company or organization), host facilitator, mentors, students, and volunteers. Hosts are responsible for providing the venue, materials, and lunch, while GRIT supplies curriculum, guides, and leadership support. Mentors must complete a certification course and pass background checks, prepared to teach and engage students safely. The planning process recommends starting 10–12 weeks in advance, with key tasks such as mentor certification, materials sourcing, and student registration. The timeline emphasizes early preparation and flexibility for postponements or changes.

Materials, Safety, and Service Considerations

This section covers the important logistics of camp setup, including choosing indoor or outdoor spaces, ensuring safety and ventilation, and preparing workstations with the right tools and materials. It highlights commonly overlooked supplies like correctly sized bits, extra batteries, extension cords, and pre-cut lumber, which are crucial for smooth operations. The discussion also explores safety protocols, PPE, emergency planning, and the selection of appropriate torch and joining systems based on regional practices. Proper preparation is stressed to handle unexpected issues effectively.

Mentor Engagement, Certification, and Training

Mentors are key to successful camps and must be qualified tradespeople who complete an online certification course, which prepares them on mentorship best practices, safety, and activity execution. The course is free and flexible, with an estimated commitment of 3–6 hours to complete. Mentors should have field experience, confidence in their skills, and patience. The importance of early certification and background checks is stressed, along with guidelines for selecting suitable mentors. Mentors are expected to arrive early to review the modules and connect with program staff.

Budgeting, Community Outreach, and Extra Considerations

The podcast discusses the financial aspect of hosting a camp, which can range from $1,500 to $5,000, covering venue, materials, lunch, and other logistics. Hosts are encouraged to seek sponsorships from local businesses for lunch or materials and to promote the event within their community through flyers, social media, and media outreach to generate interest and positive publicity. Emphasizing the community and marketing value, the hosts are encouraged to invite media coverage and engage local organizations for broader impact.

Lessons for Successful Camps and Final Advice

The final section emphasizes that a passionate, well-prepared host and mentors create a memorable and impactful experience for students, sparking curiosity and fostering positive associations with trades work. Flexibility, thorough planning, and genuine enthusiasm are highlighted as the ingredients for success. The speakers highlight the rewarding nature of these camps, the importance of mentorship, and how each event contributes to building a stronger skilled trades community and inspiring the next generation.

Show notes

In this episode, Bryan sits down with Leilani for an introduction to GRIT Camps — the hands-on program that brings skilled trades exposure to youth ages 12–17 through community events led by working tradespeople. Leilani explains that a GRIT Camp pairs recruited mentors with students for a day of modules covering safety, carpentry, electrical, brazing, and plumbing, including torch work, PVC and copper fitting, and disassembling HVAC components. Students also learn to read a jobsite-style blueprint and receive a six-in-one screwdriver to take apart and explore. Bryan and Leilani emphasize that while GRIT supplies the curriculum, guides, and structure, the host — typically a contracting business or trade organization — owns the event: recruiting students and mentors, securing a venue, and building real community connections around the day.

A large portion of the conversation walks through who does what. Hosts provide the facility, materials (plywood, 2x4s, copper, PVC, and more, all detailed in GRIT's guide), and lunch for up to around 30 people, plus a local host facilitator to coordinate logistics and serve as GRIT's point of contact. Mentors must be certified skilled tradespeople who complete GRIT's required video course and pass a background check before working with students; volunteers who don't interact directly with kids are not required to undergo a background check. GRIT, in turn, supplies the camp curriculum, host and mentor guides, registration and marketing materials, badges, student blueprints and PPE, background check coordination, and on-site program leadership from staff like Ty, GRIT's head of training, who typically arrives the day before to walk the facility with the host.

Bryan and Leilani also dig into planning specifics: camps run from about 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., cap out at 16 students with a two-students-per-mentor ratio (so eight to nine mentors for a full camp), and generally need 10 to 12 weeks of lead time to hit deadlines for mentor certification, materials gathering, and student registration. They cover the realities of choosing a torch and joining system — MAPP gas and propane versus oxyacetylene for brazing, and why oxyacetylene can't be used for the popular aluminum-repair activity — along with commonly overlooked items like correctly sized Forstner bits, spare drill batteries, extension cords, and pre-cut lumber. They close with guidance on budgeting (camps typically run $1,500 to $5,000), sourcing a sponsored lunch, handling allergies, inviting community press, and what makes a camp genuinely successful: preparedness paired with passion from both mentors and hosts.

Topics Covered

What a GRIT Camp is and which skilled trades are covered (safety, carpentry, electrical, brazing, plumbing)
Camp roles: host, host facilitator, mentor, students, and volunteers
What hosts are responsible for providing: facility, materials, and lunch
What GRIT provides: curriculum, guides, registration, marketing, background checks, and on-site leadership
Required mentor certification course and background checks
Ideal space setup, table stations, and indoor/outdoor considerations
Student and mentor ratios (16 students max, two students per mentor)
Planning timeline: 10–12 weeks of lead time and key deadlines
Confirming a camp date and the host interest assessment process
Recruiting students and mentors, including waitlists and communication
Choosing a torch and joining system: MAPP gas/propane vs. oxyacetylene brazing
Commonly overlooked or underestimated materials and tools
Safety planning, PPE, and emergency preparedness
Estimated costs and ways to offset them through sponsorships
Lunch planning and handling food allergies
Community and marketing value for hosts
Policies on parents and visitors attending
What makes a GRIT Camp successful

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