GRIT Camps
GRIT Camps
GRIT Camps bring together contractors, mentors, and community partners to create immersive, one-day workshops where students experience the trades up close.
Guided by skilled tradespeople
and grounded in the
Socratic method,
each camp invites students to ask questions, solve problems, and work with their hands. It’s not about recruiting — it’s about
sharing real skills, real tools, and real respect
for the people who build and repair the world around us.
Contractors
Bring GRIT to your business or training center.
Host a one-day camp that showcases your trade — from HVAC and Electrical to Plumbing, Carpentry, and more. Create a hands-on experience where students can work alongside
real tradespeople, ask questions, and discover the craft and character behind what you do every day.
Educators
GRIT Camps are powered by
local contractors and skilled tradespeople
who mentor students through hands-on learning. Educators can team up with a contractor in their community to bring a camp to life at their shop or training space. If you know someone who’d make a great host, we’d love an introduction and the chance to
collaborate in sharing real skills and real experiences with your students.
Manufacturers
By funding GRIT Camps and sponsoring our initiatives, you help create hands-on experiences that connect students with the
real people, real tools and real skills
behind the trades. Your support fuels mentorship, curiosity, and respect for the work that keeps our world running. Contact us to explore meaningful ways to partner with GRIT.
Whether you’re an individual or a company, we’d love to connect and explore how we can work together to strengthen and sustain the trades.
Let’s inspire the next generation to build meaningful skills—and meaningful careers
—through hands-on experience and mentorship.
Why Host a GRIT Camp?
Inspire the Next Generation:
Give students hands-on exposure to real tools and trades, helping them discover career paths they may have never considered.
Collaborative Experience:
GRIT Camps are designed in partnership with your business and community to create meaningful, hands-on learning experiences. Participants use real tools, solve real problems, and experience the challenges and rewards of the trades firsthand. Each camp is engaging, educational, and fun—built through collaboration between mentors and students.
Strengthen Your Community:
Lead by example and open your doors to the next generation. Show local youth the skill, purpose, and impact behind your trade, and be part of a movement that celebrates the people who build and sustain the world around us. When you host or support a GRIT Camp, your company becomes a visible force for good—inspiring others in your industry to share their knowledge and invest in their communities.
How do I host a GRIT Camp?
Hosting a GRIT Camp means recruiting mentors (skilled tradespeople) and students (local youth) for a one-day, hands-on event.
Contractors who host are encouraged to use their own team of trades professionals. Mentors and hosts review our GRIT Camp Guide, covering 6–7 trade modules that prepare them to lead students safely and effectively.
Hosts will meet with Leilani Orr and Ty Branaman, complete background checks, and handle materials, tools, and participant recruitment.
GRIT supports you with logistics, admin, and any questions along the way.
Camps require 1 mentor per 2 students and max out at 15 students.
GRIT Camps connect students with real tradespeople—contractors, technicians, and mentors—who share their knowledge through hands-on, question-driven learning. Together, we’re building curiosity, confidence, and respect for the essential work that keeps our communities running.
leilani@thegritfoundation.com