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Future commentators looking back on the first decade of the 21st century will undoubtedly be drawn to accounts of the unprecedented political, economic and social changes that have come to define this epoch. Across the UK, the effect of economic austerity has been felt no more acutely than in local youth work services. Youth work has been placed on the back foot. More and more, the sector must effectively respond to the primacies of government policy whilst also meeting the often-contrasting needs of young people in local communities. Such a task is made more challenging by diminishing resources. This is a tall order, with the added requirement demanded of practitioners to increasingly demonstrate outcomes and impact of their practice intervention in this context. Seemingly against the odds, youth work endures.

This article examines young people's experiences of open access youth work in settings in the UK, Finland, Estonia, Italy and France. It analyses 844 individual narratives from young people which communicate the impact of youthwork on their lives. These accounts are then analysed in the light of the European youth work policy goals. It concludes that it is encouraging that what young people identify as the positive impact of youth work are broadly consistent with many of these goals. There are however some disparities which require attention. These include the importance young people place on the social context of youth work, such as friendship, which is largely absent in EU youth work policy; as well as the importance placed on experiential learning. The paper also highlights a tension between 'top down' policy formulation and the 'youth centric' practices of youth work. It concludes with a reminder to policy makers that for youth work to remain successful the spaces and places for young people must remain meaningful to them 'on their terms'.