PRYSM Youth Group

Background

Pride Lafayette, in conjunction with PFLAG and Citizens for Civil Rights, oversees a local LGBTI youth group. PRSYM (Positive Reflections of Young Sexual Minorities) is a group for youth that is led by youth under the sponsorship and guidance of the above three organizations.

PRYSM was formed to serve as a social-support outlet for area youth who are dealing with issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Our community can be a threatening place for young LGBTI people. We hope to give youth a safe place to gather that is free from harrassment and other forms of bigotry. The peer support fostered by the group will help youth improve their self-esteem and give them opportunities to form friendships with others who are going through similar experiences.

History

In April 2004, community leaders sponsored a Youth Issues Summit, followed by a second meeting in May. At these meetings, the youth of the community asked for help in organizing a youth group.

The inaugural meeting of what has become PRYSM took place Thursday, June 3, 2004. A meal was provided by PFLAG members, who were also on hand for guidance.

Meetings

PRYSM now meets on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month. For more information about the meetings, please send an email to the PRYSM coordinators, Meredith Richmond and Margy Deverall, using the PFLAG/PRYSM Contact Form. You may also call them using the phone numbers listed on our allies page.

Volunteers and Youth Safety

Adult volunteers who help with PRSYM will be required to meet strict standards in order to assure the safety of the youth involved. The steering committee has put together two documents to help guarentee that only the most trustworthy and responsible adults will work with the youth. You can review these documents in PDF format here:

Protecting PRYSM (PDF format)
Volunteer Selection Forms (PDF format)

Steering Committee

PRYSM is led by youth leaders, who are guided by a steering committee. This committee is made up of two youth leaders and one representative each from the three sponsoring organizations: Pride Lafayette, PFLAG, and CCR. The committee meets regularly to plan upcoming PRYSM meetings and to address general concerns about the organization.