Superstition: Is It the Way?

The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives.


As Stevie Wonder once sang, “Superstition ain’t the way…”or is it? Most are to some extent superstitious, whether it be knocking on wood, reading your daily horoscope, or friggatriskaidekaphobia (the fear of Friday the 13th). While superstition is not often taken extremely seriously, it has negative and positive effects on us. Continue reading Superstition: Is It the Way?

Weekend Viewings: Social Animals

Anyone can be an influencer and have a large media presence. Some people stumble upon it, and some people don’t want it at all. Some create an account with the purpose of trying to get high traffic and sponsorships, while some just happen to have a post go viral and find themselves dealing with the outcomes, both good and bad.

Instagram helps foster creativity. Like any other social media platform, there are a fair amount of influencers, but Instagram stands out because it gives you a space to show off your artwork, photography, and design expertise, whether it be the lunch you ate earlier that day or a photo of yourself in front of a mural that perfectly matches your outfit.  

The 85% of teenagers going onto Instagram at least once a month most likely do so for different reasons. There are some trends on Instagram for teens – there are meme-and-theme accountstiming is important, and they want to do their best at making their grid look aesthetically pleasing. Teens use Instagram in their own creative ways, especially for self-expression, and sometimes the results can be extreme.

This is where Social Animals comes in. The documentary was directed by Jonathan Ignatius Green and was released back in December, following the stories of three teenagers: a pageant girl from LA, a photographer from NYC, and a high schooler living in the Midwest. All their stories and experiences with the social media platform are different, but there are still noticeable trends as you watch the movie. They all use it as an outlet for something and find a purpose behind it, but they’ve also experienced harassment and rumors through the Internet, some to a harmful degree.

There’s no clear bias in the film about if social media is really good or really bad, and simply interviews the three teenagers about how they use Instagram and the consequences that have come with it. Their backgrounds and upbringings have no overlap, but the film shows the effects that social media is having on Gen Z, not just on how they interact with others, but how they see themselves.

There are also a couple of interviews with the director if you want to learn more about the process and his views on social media and its effect on adolescents.The first one even includes two of the teenagers!

The documentary is about 90 minutes long and is available on Netflix, iTunes, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.

Warning: the movie discusses mental health, but one of the adolescents talks about self-harm and her suicide attempt in detail including her parents’ reactions. If you plan to watch the movie and are sensitive towards the topic, please view with caution.


Would you watch this movie with your child? Have you seen any documentaries or videos about the effects social media is having on teenagers?

Withdrawal without Social Media

Although adolescents are aware and think that they spend too much time with technology (especially their phones), it doesn’t look like they have any plans to reduce their use. There are stories about people taking a break from social media through a cleanse or even going off the grid completely and the benefits that come with them, but like any significant change in your habits, it can be an uphill battle to get to the positives. Continue reading Withdrawal without Social Media

Creative Arts Therapy Feature: Dance/Movement Therapy

Do you enjoy the arts? Have you ever wanted to see how getting creative can help you mentally? This feature is just one in a series of entries exploring the different types of creative arts therapy. You can learn more about other outlets here!


Created in the 1940s by Marian Chace, dance/movement therapy (DMT) is a psychotherapeutic intervention using movement and dance to support intellectual, emotional and motor functions of the body. In a session, the therapist responds to movements, assesses body language and nonverbal behaviors and emotional expressions to develop interventions to address the specific needs of the client. DMT was founded on 4 core premises:

  • Movement is a language
  • Mind, body, and spirit are interconnected
  • Movement is functionaldevelopmentalcommunicative and expressive
  • Movement is an assessment tool and primary mode of intervention

Continue reading Creative Arts Therapy Feature: Dance/Movement Therapy

When a Toxic Relationship Comes to an End

The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives.


This week, a toxic relationship that I was in came to an end. The toxic part of this relationship has been going on for a little over a year and even though I always knew it was going to end in flames, I still felt surprised when it happened. Continue reading When a Toxic Relationship Comes to an End

Glowmedia: Using Films to Educate

It’s hard being an adolescent today, given how much technology surrounds them, the pressures placed on their futures and successes, and criticisms from adults about how they don’t understand the younger generation. It can be even harder for adolescents who are minorities and/or have mental illnesses that include things such as anxiety or an eating disorder. Continue reading Glowmedia: Using Films to Educate

Navigating the Internet with Social Anxiety

It’s not uncommon to be anxious to meet new people or be in a new, unfamiliar environment. It’s also not uncommon to feel terrified before performing something in front of a crowd, whether it be alone or with others. It’s also not uncommon to even feel a little bit nervous meeting people you’re comfortable with and know pretty well. Continue reading Navigating the Internet with Social Anxiety