International Youth Day is being marked by the United Nations on August 12.

Our world currently has the largest youth population ever, some 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24. The problem? More than half of all children and adolescents lack basic reading and math skills, despite attending school.

As a result, the theme of Youth Day 2019 is “transforming education.” The UN will be evaluating the efforts of governments to transform education so it can help lead to sustainable development. The goal is to make education systems more inclusive, equitable and relevant.

According to the UN, “the crucial role that quality education plays in youth development is well recognized.” But the organization goes on to say that youth-led organizations also play a large and important role in lobbying, advocacy and other efforts to improve education.  For example, youth-led organizations are transforming education with lobbying and advocacy, partnerships with educational institutions, and by helping develop complementary training programs.