The Noroton Heights Depot “The Depot”, Darien, CT .
In 1989 a group of Darien parents and high school students saved Noroton Heights’ historic train station house slated for demolition. Starting with only a dream, they created The Depot, a drug and alcohol free teen center. The Depot Youth Center is overseen by an Adult Advisory Board and run by a Student Governing Board under the supervision of a Program Director, Executive Director and part time staff. Together the two boards form a coherent team. The Adult Board together with the Executive Director focuses primarily on fundraising, capital building projects and operations management. The Student Board is responsible for the day-to-day programming, creating and enforcing the rules of conduct, and for ongoing participation in community outreach. Many town organizations depend on “The Depot Kids” to help with their events and fundraisers.
The Depot Youth Center serves the Darien community in two ways; as both a youth center and as Darien’s designated Youth Service Bureau. As a Youth Center, the Depot offers students a welcoming and relaxing, judgment-free and safe “home away from home”, while providing opportunities for personal growth, leadership development and community volunteering. As the designated Youth Services Bureau, the Depot provides information about and referrals to Social Service Providers. We work very closely with Darien High School, Middlesex Middle School and the Darien Police Department, as well as the Norwalk and Stamford Superior Courts.
The Depot provides Darien youth with a supervised substance-free environment in which to socialize. The members of the Student Governing Board benefit from their unique roles and responsibilities while the student population at large benefits from the wide array of programming and social events designed by their peers.
