The global social media trend in the summer of 2014 had people online recording themselves dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads.
The challenge was not about people cooling off in the summer heat, but to spread awareness.
The initial challenge was started by three men who were living with the neurodegenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The ice bucket challenge had 17 million people around the world participating in the challenge. Not only did the videos raise awareness, but also, according to the ALS Association, it raised $115 million to support the funding of research and caring for individuals living with ALS.
Eleven years later, there’s a new challenge, with a different focus. Started by students at the University of South Carolina’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club, the new challenge adapts the original ice bucket format while taking on a new mission of advocating and spreading awareness about mental health.
Similarly to 2014, the #SpeakYourMIND challenge has participants posting videos pouring a bucket of ice water over themselves as they nominate others to post their own video. The challenge is meant to encourage donations for the nonprofit organization, Active Minds, whose mission is to improve mental health norms.
Sophomore at USC and founder of the MIND club Wade Jefferson said in a statement that the challenge “started as a random idea, inspired by the original ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and how powerful that movement was.”
“We wanted to bring that same energy to mental health,” said Jefferson. “Watching it take off – seeing people we admire – like Peyton Manning, join in – has been surreal. We’re proud, grateful, and just excited to see how far it’s gone and continue to go.”
The challenge has raised more than $300,000 in donations, Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds, also issued her own statement about the challenge.
“This campaign is everything Active Minds stands for—bold, mission-driven, and youth-led,” Malmon said. “To see youth and young adults take an iconic viral moment and breathe new life into it for mental health advocacy is incredibly powerful. It’s proof that when young people rally together with passion and purpose, they don’t just raise awareness—they ignite a movement. This is how we create a new era of mental health.”
Though there has been online discussion about the new challenge possibly overshadowing the original ALS challenge, according to NBC News, the ALS Association has expressed support for the new movement.
“We’re thrilled to see the spirit of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge live on in new forms of activism,” a spokesperson for the association told NBC News.
Donations for the ALS Association can be made on their website, als.org. Additionally, donations for the Active Minds organization can be made at support.activeminds.org.
