The At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS – pronounced ‘Arise’) was created in 2005 at the BC Centre on Substance Use to evaluate programs and services available for street-involved youth who use substances. The study has been gathering data based on the lived experiences of over 1,000 young participants over the course of almost two decades. Through this work, the study aims to to inform drug policy and improve the health and well-being of high-risk and underserved youth.
The ARYS study is carried out by a dedicated team of interviewers, nurses, data analysts, and peer research associates. Among them, Peer Research Assistant Carmen Verdicchio plays a crucial role in ensuring the research remains community-informed and accurately represents those with lived and living experience.
We asked Carmen Verdicchio about her unique role within the study as a Peer Research Assistant, and the central role that lived and living experience plays in research and policy.
Q: How did you get involved with ARYS?
When I was about 15 or 16, my friend told me about ARYS. He was working there and they were looking for youth to participate in a paid study about drug use and homelessness. I couldn’t believe adults cared about the opinions of kids – on drugs – and were offering to pay us! I didn’t need much convincing (laughs).
Seventeen years later, I’ve watched the study grow. Youth are our future. Listening to the experiences of youth, which is what ARYS aims to do, has sprouted massive change. Much of positive legislation changes have come from this data.
I’ve been a PRA now for a year and a bit now. As of July 2024, I will be helping to coordinate and lead the new team of PRA recruits. I'm super excited!
Q: Why it's important for people with lived experience to be involved in research?
I think it's absolutely crucial. The scientific process begins by gathering information, so excluding information will result in a flawed experiment and irrelevant result. It seems logical to get information from people with first-hand knowledge if the aim is to support people whose lives are affected by drugs. Only speaking to doctors or reading books about addiction will create vague data based on generalizations and assumptions.
Addiction is as unique as the person who is experiencing it. No two people are the same, and it’s the nature of our experiences. Those differences make us who we are. That needs to be reflected in research.
It’s like my dad always says, “The right equation equals the right answer.” I believe that the voices of people with lived or living experience provide key insights to researchers. These voices can also be used as a tool to connect with the community and serve as a catalyst for various kinds of change—whether personal, communal, or global.
Q: How do you think your role impacts youth participating in the study?
My role most impacts youth during our outreach efforts. In the past, we have connected with schools and other youth-centered programs to speak about the study and the services we offer at our downtown location. Our goal is to make an impact by presenting options and reassuring them that we are here whenever they are ready, without expecting immediate change. I think that’s something we do well at ARYS. We celebrate everyone as individuals, and we are interested in making the world a better place.
Personally, I didn't realize the impact that our work has on youth until I was an adult myself. I think that we are trying to demonstrate that the changes we aim to make are for their benefit, and hope that they might want to continue in kind one day. It might seem like a big responsibility, but eventually, they will have to navigate the future we are trying to shape for them. No pressure or anything! (laughs)
Q: What have been your biggest takeaways since joining ARYS?
I have two I’d like to share.
First, I discovered the value of sharing my story. I encourage anyone with lived experience to share their story when they're ready. It educates, inspires, and informs those who listen.
Second, I accepted my feelings about my past and let go of guilt and shame. Over the past decade, my contributions and opportunities as a "person with lived experience" have been possible because someone saw my past as an asset, not a stain. I owe it all to ARYS. That’s where it started for me. I have yet to participate in any other study that is continuously following up with its participants on a regular basis — for damn near 20 years now! That’s commitment.
To learn more about the ARYS team and how their work comes together, read more at: