During her time as a youth counselor, Laura Ingram had young people come out to her, even when they weren’t comfortable doing so to their friends and family.
When some young LGBTQ people asked Ingram about support resources in their community, Ingram said she was frustrated when she had to tell them there were none.
She decided to create one herself and started Prism Youth Community in 2013 through Bloomington PRIDE.
Prism is a social group for young LGBTQ people ages 12 to 20.
It provides a place of safety and acceptance.
Wednesday, Ingram received the first D. Susan Wiseley Youth Worker of the Year Award from the Indiana Youth Institute for her work with Prism.
The award honors people throughout the state who dedicate their lives to helping young people.
In its inaugural year, the award is meant to recognize the level of commitment needed to “improve the futures of Hoosier children,” a press release on the award reads.
The recipient also gets a $2,500 prize to put toward their work.
“The award not only recognizes Ingram’s selfless commitment, it also will provide a way for her to gain more knowledge and skills to make an even greater impact on Indiana’s youth,” said Glenn Augustine, interim CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute.
Indiana Youth Institute is an organization dedicated to promoting “the healthy development of Indiana children and youth,” the release states.
Sarah Perfetti, executive director of Bloomington PRIDE, said she was not at all surprised to see Ingram win this award.
“Laura definitely deserves this,” Perfetti said. “Laura is extremely open-minded. She has no agenda. Her goal is always to support the youth and that is what has allowed this organization to thrive.”
Ingram has been helping Bloomington youth for more than a decade.
She is a licensed mental health counselor and worked at Bloomington High School North, Catholic Charities of Bloomington and Stepping Stones Youth Shelter before she began her work with Prism.
She also has a private therapy practice and teaches at the IU School of Social Work.
When Ingram started Prism, it was just a support group that met once a week.
In the past two years, it has grown to include people from seven different counties and more than 20 middle schools, high schools and colleges in the region.
The group meets twice a week to do activities and hold discussions about LGBTQ issues.
Their last event had more than 250 people in attendance.
Ingram said it’s rewarding to see members of Prism transform through their involvement in the group.
“Some of them maybe come into the organization timid or frustrated or hurt,” Ingram said. “But seeing them gain self-confidence and self-esteem and build that sense of family is amazing.”
Outside the social elements of Prism, members do outreach in their communities.
On Nov. 3, Prism conducted six training sessions for nearly 600 Monroe County Community School Corporation teachers, educating them on LGBTQ sensitivity.
The program was entirely planned and presented by young Prism members on issues they had experienced first-hand.
Perfetti said creating opportunities that give a voice to young LGBTQ members, like the educational sessions and discussions, is what sets Ingram apart.
“She listens to the youth more than any other adult I’ve worked with,” Perfetti said. “They tell her their problems and barriers in the community and she genuinely listens and then helps them do something about it.”
Ingram hopes to continue expanding Prism to serve the community.
To do so, she plans on using the prize money from her award to attend Time To Thrive, a conference in February put on by the Human Rights Campaign.
The conference focuses on promoting safety and inclusion for LGBTQ youth through programs like Prism.
Ingram said she is grateful that the prize money allows her to attend the conference, which might have been too costly otherwise.
“Being able to go to this conference will be awesome because I can expand my knowledge and learn from the people who are trying to do the same things as I am,” she said.
