When it comes to confidence, hindsight can be a valuable thing. Especially when looking back at our younger years when a lot of the things that we worried about now seem futile and unnecessary.

A report by Être, the organization that arranges mentorship programmes for young girls and teens, found that there’s been an alarming decline in self-image and mental wellbeing. The survey found that between the ages of 13 to 18 girls, confidence drops by 20% and girls who say they feel smart drops by a shocking 50%.

Adolescence can be a turbulent time, especially for girls and their mental health.

According to a new study by Être, a mentorship program for girls, confidence drops by 20% between the ages of 13 and 18.

Girls who say they feel smart drops by 50%, and those who say they feel stressed increases by a staggering 241%.

But there is some good news -- 91% of girls believe higher confidence is directly related to mentorship.

We spoke with Être's Founder and CEO Illana Raia about its work to build girls' self-esteem.

You've heard of spring cleaning your locker, your bedroom and your closet...but what about your self-image? A confidence refresh might be *just* the thing you need to achieve, uh, full bloom this szn.

But building sustainable self-love is about more than treating yourself to a face mask and a bubble bath now and again. It means making concrete changes in your life so you can bounce back after any struggle—whether it's an awk crush interaction or not-so-great quiz grade.

If you feel like channeling confidence is low-key tricky, you're not alone. A new study from Être shows that girls' self-image plummets between the ages of 13 and 18, thanks to a combo of your brain and social skills developing during high school. Plus, growing up brings all kinds of new pressures (Friend drama! SAT scores! Internships!), so it's no surprise that the percentage of girls who say they're stressed increases by 241% (!!!) at this life stage.

A recent national survey conducted by YPulse in collaboration with Être has shed light on a significant decline in confidence levels among girls aged 13-18, pinpointing the lack of mentorship as a critical issue. This research emphasizes the dire need for early mentorship to enhance self-image and mental well-being in young girls, with Être leading the charge by connecting them with influential female mentors.

Plenty of people struggle today with stress and declines in their mental health—but the experience of middle and high school girls is especially concerning. Girls are struggling with some of the highest-ever levels of depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide. They are sad, insecure and pessimistic about themselves and their lives.

Worst hit are some of the youngest girls—those in 5th grade—and girls’ experiences have been trending negatively since 2017.

The crisis that girls face is important for many reasons. First, they are our daughters, sisters, nieces and friends—and we want the best for them and their lives.

But the problem is broader as well. Today’s teens are tomorrow’s adults and to make their best contributions, they must have healthy experiences which shape their choices, their confidence, their capabilities and their ability to be in community with others.

Today, Être, the mentorship ecosystem closing the confidence gap by bringing girls into companies and face to face with female leaders, launched a new proprietary survey measuring the current state of girls’ confidence and the direct link shown between early mentorship and higher confidence.

Today, The Children’s Place launched PJ Place, a sleepwear lifestyle brand targeted at adults. Helping launch the new brand was Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner, CEO of Être Girls, Illana Raia, TV personality Tyler Cameron, The Toast podcast hosts Claudia and Jackie Oshry, TikTok stars Rod Thill and Erika Priscilla.

The new collection, for both women and men, includes pajama sets, loungewear, robes, thermal sets, fashion tees, cozy slippers, socks, and much more. The collection is available exclusively on www.pjplace.com, with price points between $10.95-$69.95.

The brand is making its official debut to the U.S with a lifestyle campaign headlined by a diverse group of entrepreneurs, celebrities and influencers, including Khloé Kardashian; Kris Jenner; CEO of Être Girls, Illana Raia; TV personality, Tyler Cameron; The Toast podcast hosts Claudia and Jackie Oshry; and TikTok stars, Rod Thill and Erika Priscilla.

PJ Place is a bona fide digital brand with its own web site experience. The brand is digital-only and not sold in stores. And it has a splashy marketing campaign featuring influencers and celebrities such as Khloé Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Tyler Cameron, CEO of Être Girls, Illana Raia, “The Toast” podcast hosts Claudia and Jackie Oshry, and TikTok stars Rod Thill and Erika Priscilla.

On this month’s episode of Worth’s Leading Voices series, Laura Gerson, the director of Women and Worth, interviewed Illana Raia, the founder of Être—a fast growing mentorship program for girls. Previously, Raia worked as a corporate attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, was a member of the International Space Station, and served on the National Girls Collaborative Champions Board. With this impressive resume behind her, Raia now devotes herself to the Être girls full-time (when she isn’t writing books). But, in order to understand what Être is all about, it’s necessary to learn how it came to be.

Worth is joined by Nora Ali and Marcus Glover for an intimate discussion about how to take your DEI initiatives beyond empty promises and filling seats to create a dynamic workforce and add value to your company.