Tracy Coleman

Background

About Tracy Coleman

Please note: The content on my profile including my posts, opinions, & shared posts are not representative of my employers or colleagues. As someone who has always had a heart for people & a empathetic listening ear, it’s no surprise that I’ve been involved in service/care/support roles from the start of my working career. I started my working world as an early years practitioner, supporting children from birth to 5 years old to thrive in this big wide world. My role was to create spaces where they could learn and develop in healthy ways by creating creative opportunities for expression and self-discovery. Many years later I found myself growing in confidence & awareness that the need for a safe place to grow & develop with people who care and celebrate even the little achievements, I found myself needing a new challenge. I moved 500 miles away down south to Guildford where I embedded myself in the challenging yet exciting years – the teenage years. I worked within a range of contexts including hospitals, community outreach, youth centers, holiday clubs, church settings & schools work to provide safe spaces & understanding trauma, mental health & relationships. It was here that I really found my passion for a humanity & injustice. Being continually challenged that people need a safe space, to be listened to, a friend to walk along side, to fight for them through a big system of unknown & yet how scared people can feel. Mental health drops, people feel isolated & alone & yet I had a passion to keep people connected and together. I found myself learning how to become trauma informed, understanding the impact of the world and how it impacts our mental health and wellbeing, supporting those in the darkest of times all the while creating safe non-judgmental spaces. Today I dedicate my professional and personal life to further developing the understanding and importance of creating safe spaces, and challenging attitudes towards all young people (especially those struggling, LGBTQ+ people and their families & friends, as well as services) Working alongside not only parents/carers/young people, but also schools, local authority services and other charities to develop inclusive practice and challenging the attitudes and bias of people so that we can one day live as one people respectful, accepted and safe. My more recent proud moment has been joining SWAAY as a Therapeutic Residential Worker supporting teen boys who have been involved in HSB.