ALMOST two decades after the Good Friday Agreement largely ended violence, children are still growing up segregated by religion, a report has found.
The Integrated Education Fund's (IEF) Young People's Voices report said the fear of conflict remained strong in many areas.
The report is the culmination of a two-year project exploring and reflecting the experiences, perceptions and aspirations of 16-24 year olds.
The IEF's work with independent researchers, community groups and more than 2,000 young people showed a generation growing up divided but with a determination to see divisions dismantled.
Many said they were affected negatively by segregation in housing and education adding that progress towards a united community was too slow.
The report found a majority would leave the north because of a lack of job opportunities adding that many were not being educated to meet the job requirements of the market and were taking their skills elsewhere.
Although the unemployment rate for the period April to June was estimated at 6.5 per cent, around a fifth of young people were out of work this year.
"When considered alongside the other post-conflict challenges that Northern Ireland is still facing, it is not surprising that a majority of young people, asked at different points in this engagement project, would be willing or indeed expect to leave Northern Ireland due to a lack of job opportunities," the report read.
The Green Party's Steven Agnew said integrated education was fundamental to achieving a less divided society, which was borne out by the majority engaged in the report.
"It would be better for our society if our children could be educated together in one school, with no differentiation in terms of faith, ability or socio economic background. This should be the norm rather than the exception," he said.
