Becoming a GRIT Host or Mentor w/ Leilani

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

Learn more about the GRIT Foundation or contact us at https://www.thegritfoundation.com/.

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