The International Youth Day, a day designated by the United Nations, is observed on 12 August to create awareness and to draw attention to various issues surrounding the younger generation.

The UN began observing the day in 2000 and the theme for this year's youth day is "Youth Civic Engagement".

"The engagement and participation of youth is essential to achieve sustainable human development. Yet often the opportunities for youth to engage politically, economically and socially are low or non-existent," according to the UN.

As part of the special day, various events and meetings will be organised throughout the world to discuss matters related to the youth.

Check out some motivational quotes and messages to be shared with the younger generation below:

Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth. -- Chanakya - Indian Philosopher

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. -- Samuel Ullman - American businessman

Youth has no age. -- Pablo Picasso - Spanish painter

The youth need to be enabled to become job generators from job seekers. -- APJ Abdul Kalam - Former Indian President

Keep true to the dreams of your youth. -- Friedrich Schiller- German Poet

 Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength. -- Betty Friedan - American Writer

 The youth is the hope of our future. -- Jose Rizal - Filiphino Nationalist

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently. -- Friedrich Nietzsche - German Philosopher

In youth we learn; in age we understand. -- Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach - Austrian Writer

Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age. -- Victor Hugo - French Novelist