Meet Mateo Belen

Mateo has 15 years of experience as an advocate and social worker within LGBTQ health and community settings. His approach to healing work is informed by his training in trauma informed systems.

He received his Masters in Social Work from Silberman School of Social Work with a focus on creating trauma informed systems shifts in organizations. This training, along with his own experience, provided him with insight on the role of organizations in creating and perpetuating trauma, and the capacity of organizations to be healing spaces where community is a practice.

Raised and held by compassionate elders, Mateo is continually guided to understand the power and practice of committed, deliberate, interdependent community. He brings a variety of healing tools cultivated through his own experience in community, non-profits, city government, and navigating trauma.