Diversity
Training And Support
ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
Meet The Team!
SAFE SPACES FACILITATOR. YOGA TEACHER.
MINDFULNESS COACH. MASSAGE THERAPIST.
Mathew is a yoga teacher and Sports and Holistic Massage Therapist. He came to the idea of Safe Spaces after being contacted by numerous parents reaching out to get questions answered and support for themselves and their gender diverse and/or transgender children. Through many discussions with parents, hearing their questions and concerns and hearing about various experiences he knew there was a need for people to gain greater awareness and understanding of transgender people – children and adults alike. He attended the Wits Safe Zones training to become a facilitator in training on diversity. He then came up with the concept of Safe Spaces and asked Jenna if she would like to get on board. The two of them created the Safe Spaces organization.
Mathew is a queer/non-conforming transgender man passionate about helping other people on a similar path to navigate life and society while also helping to educate and bring about change in the school, work and medical environments. “Support needs to extend to staff, families, peers and professional workers in order for them to understand and be able to support individuals who are different.”
SAFE SPACES FACILITATOR. KEYNOTE SPEAKER
COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGIST. MEDIATOR.
Jenna Bayer is a Counselling Psychologist, Keynote Speaker, and Mediator. She has over a decade’s worth of experience in the education, business, and NGO sectors as well as working with various parastatals and government departments. Jenna’s experience includes individual therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy; psycho-educational training; support group facilitation; mediation work; and human rights activism.
Jenna has lectured Psychology Honours students in Community and Health Psychology. She is a regular guest on prominent radio and television stations such as 702 Talk Radio, SAFM, Newzroom Afrika and SABC news where she talks about pertinent and topical areas of mental health.
Jenna believes strongly that mental health is a human rights issue. She continues to champion mental health issues and counsel victims of gender-based violence addressing the stigma associated with mental health and advocating against injustices brought about by gender-based violence.
Amongst Jenna’s highlights is her work with WITS RHI Transgender Health Centre in Braamfontein where she helped the transgender community navigate psycho-social and physical challenges; and regularly supports the Thuli Madonsela Foundation whose ethos is democracy for all.
OUR SERVICES
