Young Researchers' Advisory Panel (YRAP)

About Us

We are a group of young adults interested in improving things for young people affected by sexual violence. The YRAP support the International Centre by helping to make sure young people are involved properly at every stage of the research process.

YRAP member

Our approach

We are committed to:

• participatory practice
• young people's involvement in decision making
• trauma-informed participation grounded in reflective practice
• a learning culture
• collaborative practice
• challenging the marginalisation of young people’s voices
• improving and promoting safe and ethical involvement of young people in practice, policy and applied research

Our aims

1. To embed and develop the role and capacity of the YRAP within the IC and UK-wide CSE and sexual violence research community
2. To capture and disseminate evidence-based learning about young people’s participation in CSE practice and research
3. To further develop the YRAP’s role in CSE research by implementing co-produced research on a research priority identified by young people.

Funding

The YRAP is currently funded by the Samworth Foundation's Young Voices fund.

Projects

Internal projects

YRAP members have been involved in the following projects led or co-led by colleagues at the International Centre:

• Learning From the Experts
• Small Steps Can Make a Big Difference (in collaboration with Different and Equal)
• Our Voices Too and Our Voices III
• Contextual Safeguarding - Scale Up project
• Contextual Safeguarding - Securing Safety
• Making Noise
• Marginal Gains (CSE and Policing Knowledge Hub)
• The Be Healthy Project (in collaboration with AYPH and NWG) (see ayph-behealthy.org.uk for more information)
• The Alexi Project (see also child sexual exploitation evaluation)
• Making Justice Work

External partners and projects

YRAP members have advised on a number of projects led by external partners, including the Home Office and The Lighthouse

Conferences

YRAP members have presented at conferences in the UK and internationally to share our research with wider audiences. These include:

• BASPCAN conference (Warwick, 2018)
• SVRI conference (Rio de Janeiro, 2018)
• IC/Alexi Project conference (2017) (see blogpost)

Blogposts

Find out more about how we formed the YRAP in this blogpost

Involving young people in research: a young researcher shares her experience of presenting at a BASPCAN conference - blogpost here

A young researcher reflects on taking part in SRVI conference in Brazil - blogpost here

Resources

YRAP Stories

Four of our YRAP members share some thoughts about their motivations and hopes for the YRAP. [resource to be added]

Creating a safe space

Ideas for the development of participatory group work
to address sexual violence with young people

YRAP members helped create these comic postcards with the Alexi Project, sharing 10 key principles for working with young people affected by CSE.

[More resources to follow...]

Publications

• The 'Children's Voices' report on how the police respond to worries about a young person's safety [PDF]
• The AYPH 'Be Healthy' Project booklet [PDF]
• 'They don't talk about it enough', report on the 2014 consultations with Youth Advisors for 'Our Voices' [PDF]
• 'In a New Light: Photographs and Words from the 'Having our Say Project' [PDF]
• It's Wrong but You Get Used to it'. Sexual violence and exploitation in gangs. Young People's Report [PDF]
• 'One of the Gang?'. Films made by young people about being involved with a gang [PDF]
• 'Out of the Box: Young People's Stories' [PDF]

Films

These films were made by young people from eight different youth projects across England for their peers, professionals and policy-makers. 

They look at what needs to be done to address the issues of gang-associated sexual violence and exploitation.

Four films on gang-associated sexual violence and exploitation

Contact

For more information about the work of the YRAP, please contact:

Dr Camille Warrington at camille.warrington@beds.ac.uk
or
Rachel Benchekroun at rachel.benchekroun@beds.ac.uk