Kate Middleton and Prince William Promote Mental Health at Vibrant Charity in First Outing of 2023

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Kate Middleton and Prince William are supporting young people's mental health in a creative space!

After a stop at Liverpool's brand new hospital, the Prince and Princess of Wales headed to a vibrant organization that helps support young adults on Thursday. The Open Door Charity in Birkenhead uses culture and creativity to inspire and engage people. Prince William and Princess Kate — who have placed the support of well-being at the heart of their public work for the last decade — immersed themselves in the charity's exciting and colorful Bloom Building.

They spent time with Open Door's volunteers, mentors and staff to hear about the progressive therapeutic models that have been developed to help young adults face any number of challenges. The Bazaar program blends elements of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness to help young people and young adults aged 17 to 35 understand their minds and give them the training, skills, tools and techniques to support themselves.

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Another model, the Oomoo program, was developed for young people aged 11 to 18 living on the Wirral to help them navigate life's ups and downs and offers activities such as dance classes, film nights and well-being activities.

RELATED:  The Biggest Revelations from Prince Harry's Book Spare

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Open Door gives members free access to an innovative range of creative therapeutic support options delivered by a frontline team of around 100 peer mentors in Merseyside, the area around Liverpool.

Lee Pennington, founder and director of Open Door Charity, tells PEOPLE it was "surreal but beautiful" to have the couple. "It was a bit nervy at first but then after a bit, it was chilled and interesting and great," he says.

"It was beautiful to speak candidly with people in the world that they inhabit," he adds. "And what came across loud and clear is that they care about, and value, the same things in the world that the people involved in this organization do. They care deeply about 'how can we make this happen work better and make sure we are building the best to support people in what is the biggest health needs of our time — the mental health needs of young people. But boil it down, and they care about the same things that we do."

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Pennington senses that the royal couple has a deep understanding of the subject.

"We are not a collection of experts — we're a collection of people at the charity who feel like we can change the world when it comes to the issues we're working within," he says. "We want to think innovatively and creatively and try to solve problems in the best possible way. So to hear that that's shared by them is great. They go on visits like this around the world speaking to people — but they said they hadn't heard of anyone who took the approach we are doing. It definitely feels like we're onto something."

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The couple is "naturally approachable," Pennington adds, making it easy for the young people and staffers and volunteers who were naturally a little nervous to begin with.

"They're very, very informal and friendly," he says. "The whole thing is very surreal. This is very different from the average Thursday for us let alone some of our members," he adds. "It's really important for them to get a real flavor of exactly what we do that people feel able to talk and that their voices are able to be heard."

The Oomoo program at Open Door sees young people create music. Dan, 24, works on the program, helping them write original new songs — they've even recorded an album. He says, "Now they've got a CD, which they said they would put on in the car."

He adds, "The main thing [about the visit] is it shows that we're doing something right, and we all believe here that we're doing something important. And affirmations like that are just dead important for us to keep us going. It makes us believe that they do care about how stuff like that because of how knowledgeable and conversational they were about it. That's very reaffirming. Sometimes there can be a disconnect between us and people in positions of influence."

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"You could tell that they were really knowledgeable," Dan says. "Particularly Kate, you could tell. It would have been easy for them to come in and not have done the research and not have known about it. But it came across how much they know mental health is a problem and how they know there's not one way to solve it and how interested they are in finding the ways people are helping other people and what they can do to make that more of a nationwide thing. They definitely really care."

Reece, who has taken part in the program, said about the royal couple, "They seemed more welcoming than I actually thought they would be. Before they came in, I was stressing — it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's nice to know that the recognition will be there."

Mental health among the old and young has been a centerpiece of Prince William and Kate's public work for many years. And the Princess has broadened her interest to focus on the development of young babies and the help that parents and carers need as they navigate the first years of life. The couple's Royal Foundation has set up a special department, the Centre for Early Childhood, concentrating on supporting that work.

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Thursday's visit came as Prince Harry's memoir Spare continued to make waves around the world. In this week's issue, he tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that being known as the "spare" to his older brother throughout his life was challenging.

"For as long as I can remember, I've heard and seen the term 'spare' to describe me. I knew the only way I could write this book with a good conscience would be if I openly and honestly confronted my experiences and leaned into that which once held me back—including this term," he says. "While I know much of my life may seem unrelatable, I do think most siblings can relate to struggling with comparisons, and my brother and I are no exception."

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As Prince William and Princess Kate arrived at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, reporters shouted questions about their reaction to Prince Harry's memoir — but the couple did not respond (and possibly couldn't hear the comments over the strong wind).