IARS was informally set up in 2001 by Dr. Theo Gavrielides supported by a group of other young people. They initially run IARS as a voluntary, international youth-led research network that aimed to influence policy in areas such as restorative justice, criminal justice and equality. The network was set up as a reaction to young people being excluded from the formation of policies that affect them. Several projects were run, but the organisation was not formally registered until 7 December 2004 (Company limited by guarantee No 5348191).
IARS first two Directors, Theo Gavrielides and Dale Coker set up a website and started to register IARS' first members. During this period, all IARS’ activities were carried out on a voluntary basis. Overheads and other expenses were covered by the volunteers who felt that no other genuine youth-led policy think-tank existed in the UK that would have allowed them to voice their concerns on policies and practices they felt strongly about.
In June 2006, Lewis Parle joined IARS as a research intern leading on a Big Boost funded youth-led project on human rights and bullying. This led to several publications and significant policy work putting IARS on the map for good. During the same year, the first Trustees Board was recruited under the leadership of Elena Noel as Chair. In June 2008, IARS was formally registered as a charity (No 1124590) aiming to empower and give voice to young people so that they can influence policy and democratically engage in society as equal citizens and leaders of their communities.
Why “Independent” “Academic” “Research” “Studies”?
Many ask about the organisation’s name, how it came about, what it represents and why the term “youth” is not included. The answer is very simple. IARS wants to stand out! Although all IARS’ projects are easily identifiable as youth related (e.g. Youth Empowerment Project, Young Justice Champions), the name of the organisation goes far beyond the message that other youth organisations want to send through their own names.
Many academics, independent researchers, the media and consultants have stated that academic, robust research and policy cannot be done by young people as they lack the skills, the experience and indeed the wisdom that they themselves claim to have. Articles that have appeared in refereed journals, youth magazines and government papers claim that any evidence collected by young researchers is bound to be naive, unrealistic and unsound.“Independent Academic Research Studies” exists to do exactly what it says on the tin. Through a process of empowerment that involves training, peer mentoring, team work and confidence building, young people at IARS become capable to produce evidence-based policy that is informed by “Independent”, “Academic”, “Research”, “Studies” that they themselves carry out. The fact that the charity is particularly interested in young people who wouldn't be offered this opportunity elsewhere makes its mission even stronger as those out of education and employment, disabled young people, offenders, ex-offenders and other disadvantaged groups should be provided with the means, the route and the opportunity to participate fully in society and say what they think about the practices that are being set up for them. Without these genuine accounts, practices targeting young people are often unrealistic or lack the buy in from their target groups.
IARS is unique. Although there appear to exist several good youth projects empowering young people to have a say in issues that affect them, there is no youth-led social policy think-tank with a mission to simply do that as an organisational activity. And because youth-led, evidence-based social policy is one of the organisation’s central mission, the process of empowering those young people who haven’t learned or haven’t been given the opportunity to learn how to voice their thoughts in writing, public speaking and campaigning has become integral part of IARS services.
