On this episode of Flow Lab, Ben Walker and Sam Myers sit down with Leilani Orr and Ty Branaman from the Grit Foundation to talk about a very practical way to grow the trades pipeline: youth camps where kids actually do the work.

Instead of PowerPoints and lectures, these camps drop 12–17-year-olds into escape-room-style challenges with real tools, real wiring, and real jobsite scenarios. Mentors don’t just “show and tell," they use a Socratic, question-first approach so kids learn to think, measure, troubleshoot, and fix things for themselves.

You’ll hear how the camps are structured, what it realistically takes to host one, and why mentors come away just as energized as the students. From high-school interns in Retrotec’s engineering department to kids proudly taking home their own wired “wall boxes,” this episode is a how-to guide for turning “we need more people in the trades” into real action in your own community.

In this episode, we get into:
- How the Grit Foundation youth camps introduce 12–17-year-olds to the trades using real tools, real circuits, and jobsite-style scenarios
- Why curiosity, questions, and mistakes are built into their Socratic teaching approach
- The mentor’s role, the 1:2 mentor-to-student ratio, and how a detailed playbook keeps camp days on track
- What it actually takes to host a camp: facilities, background checks, safety, and community partners
- How these camps help kids connect the dots between fix-it life skills and real career paths
- Why building science and HVAC are directly tied to public health and safety, not just comfort
- How programs like this can help your local market build its own long-term talent pipeline

If you’ve ever said, “We need more people who actually understand how buildings work,” this episode shows one concrete way to start building that future, right where you live.

Video Notes:
00:00 – Welcome to Flow Lab & Why the Trades Shortage Matters
01:21 – Meet Grit Foundation & How the Youth Camps Started
04:50 – Escape-Room Style Camps That Make the Trades Fun
09:15 – Willis Carrier, Curiosity & the Socratic Teaching Model
13:28 – Training Mentors & Walking Through a Camp Day
17:36 – Real Impact on Students, Mentors & Retrotec Interns
27:47 – What It Takes to Host a Grit Foundation Camp
39:32 – Defining Success & Building Local Talent Pipelines
45:00 – Bringing Curiosity Home & Connecting Trades to Health

Connect with :
The Grit Foundation Website: www.thegritfoundation.com
Grit Foundation Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572576687441
Grit Foundation Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gritfoundation25
Grit Foundation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-grit-foundation/?viewAsMember=true

Follow Hosts:
Ben Walker (Co-CEO, Retrotec)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-walker-4a05901/

Sam Myers (Building Science Specialist & Trainer)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-myers-ms-a9a4a546/

Website: https://retrotec.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retrotec/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retrotec/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RetrotecEnergy/

Listen on
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3xMDAhIttUTHWK41DH7KhB

Don’t forget to subscribe for more episodes on airtightness, ventilation strategies, and innovations in building science!

#BuildingScience #AirtightnessTesting #EnergyEfficiency #BuildingPerformance #HVAC #Retrotec #GreenStar #EnergyWaste #HomeImprovement