User:Dinendra Haria

Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS) is a youth-led non-profit social policy think-tank which was set up in 2001 to give voice to young people to influence policies and practices that affect them and through their work to support youth-led organisations and groups in achieving community cohesion, and promoting equality, human rights, restorative justice and alternative dispute resolution.

IARS achieve its aims by:

§	Providing direct services to disadvantages young people; §	By acting as an independent consultancy; §	By carrying out research and by informing strategic decision makers about issues affecting children and young people who are easily exposed to discrimination.

IARS was originally set up by a group of young volunteers to develop social science research capacity through support for researchers in the early stages of their careers. IARS runs two networks: one with young people, and one with organisations mainly from the voluntary and community sector. IARS aims to serve as a model whereby young people, particularly from disadvantage groups, come together to influence policies that affect their lives, and support Third Sector organisations that are concerned with issues that involve them (e.g. the knife and gang culture, inequality, education, unemployment, bullying and hate crime, sexual abuse, drugs and social exclusion). IARS is a a registered company limited by guarantee and a registered charity.