Meet Meaghan

Meaghan Duckett (she/her)

MSW, RSW

Founder & Executive Director

Meaghan Duckett (she/her) is the Founder, Executive Director, and a counsellor at This Space, as well as a staff member at the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office at UBC Okanagan. She is second-generation Afro-Jamaican and Scottish, and proudly identifies as queer.

As a registered social worker, Meaghan has deep experience in areas such as substance use, mental health, trauma, race-related stress, gender and sexual identity, intergenerational trauma, sexual violence, and sex trafficking. Her work focuses on supporting queer and/or IBPOC individuals who face systemic oppression and marginalization.

This Space was born out of a pressing need for mental health services for these communities, designed by these communities. After witnessing and experiencing harm inflicted upon queer and/or IBPOC young people by oppressive systems, and seeing the profound lack of care available, Meaghan felt compelled to create this service. These mental health disparities are not due to the identities of 2S/LGBTQIA+ and IBPOC individuals, but rather to the harm caused by systems of racism, colonialism, homophobia, and transphobia. This Space exists to fill the gap, providing services designed with the lived experiences of these communities in mind—those so often excluded by mainstream systems.

Meaghan honors the queer and/or IBPOC leaders who paved the way for the opportunities and privileges she holds today. She also carries the strength of her Afro-Jamaican and Scottish ancestors and the legacy of queer activists who fought for her right to live authentically.

While she works to create new systems for mental health access, Meaghan finds peace by spending time with her dog, Jaxie, reconnecting with nature, and indulging in a good true crime documentary on Netflix.

She’s here to walk alongside you on your journey. Welcome, you’re exactly where you need to be.

Photos by Kay Zinger, and Royce Sihlis**