According to reports, girls’ confidence and self-esteem peaks around age 9, and falls from there. We see it all the time, girls suddenly feel self-conscious of their appearance as their bodies change, they see women in the media and feel they need to wear makeup to get that airbrushed look, they hear gossip at sleepovers and feel they need to be the best at everything to stand out from the crowd and avoid being picked on. What can we do to help foster confidence in girls as they go through the difficult stages of middle school and high school? Here to talk us through it is Illana Raia: lawyer, lecturer, and CEO and Founder of Etre Girls, a mentorship platform for young girls.

The organization Être Girls bolsters middle school aged girls by finding female mentors at global brands to talk to the girls about how to “Be Smart, Be Wise, Be Innovative.” The group has a new book entitled, Être: Girls, Who Do You Want to Be? It features two Jacksonville girls involved in the movement and is already an Amazon best seller. We spoke about, “Être,” which means “to be,” with founder Illana Raia.

Ensuring free access to role models for girls from all backgrounds is vital to our mission, and I am constantly seeking mentors of my own to help navigate this path.

Today we’re celebrating International Day of the Girl by teaming up with our friends at Être to help empower and inspire you to follow your biggest dreams.

Être is a mentorship and resource platform encouraging middle school girls to embrace their passions and become their most authentic selves. Their new book, Être: Girls, Who Do You Want to Be? is out today and we think it’s a must-have for every girl. Whether you dream of inventing your own product or using your voice to change the world, the Être book is the tool you need to make those dreams a reality. Having an idea is the easy part, but taking action or figuring out where to start can hold back even the most brilliant dreams. That’s where this book comes in handy.

Through Être, Illana Raia introduces middle school-aged girls to female executives working in companies like Spotify, Goldman Sachs and the New York Stock Exchange.

Être means “to be.” So, for Illana Raia, Être Girls was the perfect name for a resource for middle and high school. Être Girls uses mentorship to teach girls across the country to be informed, smart, brave, charitable, happy, strong, brave, strong, connected, wise, innovative and well-read. It’s ultimately helping young girls answer the question, who exactly do you want to be?

We got together with Illana to find out more about Être Girls and how middle and high school girls in Stamford can get involved!

Launched 24 months ago with curated links & role model quotes for middle school girls, Être expands with after-school mentorship clubs, on-site Lunch & Learns with female execs and an all-girl Board.

A series of relevant and refreshingly candid interviews featuring inspiring and accomplished women talking about work-life balance. I’ve always been curious about how women I admire manage the tragically glorified “doing it all” craze. So I asked them. As I suspected, no one really does “it all.” Everyone’s making sacrifices somewhere. And that should make us all feel a little better. I hope the conversation will be steered toward that reality rather than toward the flawed and dangerous assumption that we should try—or even want to try—to perfectly do “it all.”

When Illana’s daughter was in grade school, she emailed some girlfriends and asked if they would take part in a one-day “girls summit” at her home. She pictured her daughter and her friends gaining wisdom from accomplished women – writers, surgeons, CEOs, designers, attorneys, news anchors. This idea lead to the founding of Être , a place girls can go to help them find their own path in life, and what they want “to be.”

Mentorship always played an important role in Illana Raia’s career. As a young lawyer, Raia worked in mergers and acquisitions at Skadden Arps.

Meet Illiana Raia, lawyer, lecturer and founder of ‘Être’ – a site and movement providing resources to girls helping to build their confidence and futures.