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our history
Depot is the result of Area 43’s youth-led ethos. At the beginning of 2021, off the back of the closure of many youth mental health services, Area 43 wanted to understand what young people needed now to address their post-pandemic landscape.
The answer came back, loud and clear! Consultation with our young community, both those who had used services and those who didn’t said the same thing. That young people were the experts in their own mental health, and what they needed was the ability to shape services as they needed.
They wanted, non-clinical, stigma free, open access, early intervention in issues that impacted their wellbeing, and therefore wider mental health.
They wanted a safe space, facilitated by trusted professionals, that was informal in nature, to build relationships and support networks amongst their peers, get advice from people who were relatable and trustworthy, and where necessary guided into more formal interventions.
we became youth-led.
Young people wanted to be part of the community, they wanted to be seen, have a space that was uniquely for them, and welcomed them in the heart of the community. They worked with us to raise funds for a large building to house our ambitious project on the High St in the middle of Cardigan.
Next we needed a name, young people suggested and voted on the name Depot, partly to recognise the roots of our building as the old post office depot, but also to represent the way station we were creating in young people’s lives…a stop on a brilliant journey.
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To be youth-led is to know when to step out of the way and let young people take the lead. Area 43 believes in young people’s abilities and ambitions and empowers them to make real change. Area 43 is youth-led from the outset, and we are determined to guide others to be youth-led too.
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