Everyone’s favorite 2014 activity, the ice-bucket challenge, has made a comeback.
The trend that started in 2014 by three young men with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) to raise awareness for the disease has been reimagined by students at the University of South Carolina as a way to face a new issue; mental health.
The Universities Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club started their #SpeakYourMind campaign March 31st when founder and junior Wade Jefferson dumped a bucket of ice water on his head and nominated 10 others to do the same.
Jefferson started the club after losing two friends due to suicide. He believes that the club can help normalize conversations concerning mental health.
Now just like in 2014, this challenge has made it way around the world, including Davenport, Florida.
“I would say that [Cresswell’s Sister] Riley and I started the ice bucket trend at the school. My first nomination was from one of Riley’s close friends that lives in Virginia, I was very excited and actually honored when I got nominated,” freshman Morgan Cresswell said.
After the Cresswells took the challenge on, it started to make its way around the rest of the school. Even the Coyote Chronicle joined in.
“Laura Escovedo nominated me. I was in my bed going through Instagram when I saw the nomination, I was excited actually. I asked my sister to film, and my brother threw the bucket of ice on me,” sophomore Gabrielle Destine stated.
Some even tried to avoid the challenge as much as possible like Sophomore Ana-Sofia Arellano.
“When Laura nominated me for the ice bucket challenge, I was absolutely appalled. I still have not done the challenge mainly because I have been waiting for my sister to join me because I’m not going to do it by myself, it will get done eventually,” Arellano said.
Unlike Arellano, Sophomore Marcella Perez-Ortiz was very excited when she found out she was nominated.
“I actually got nominated twice and I did it both times. I love how everyone is participating in it, I feel like it’s also really awesome, the meaning behind it. I know that before it was raising awareness for ALS and this time around its for mental health, I think it’s very important to spread awareness for these things and I think this is a good way to do it,” Perez-Ortiz said.
Some students from the school like Junior Caitlynn Class have even got nominated multiple times by people outside of the school.
“I actually got nominated twice, both my cousin and friend from New York nominated me,” Class said.
When the MIND club launched the challenge, they also issued a statement recalling that the activity is not only for awareness, but also to raise money for the Active Minds non-profit, an organization that also raises awareness for youth mental health.
Initially the fundraiser had a goal of $500, Jefferson thinking the challenge would be confined to the university. On Friday night the campaign surpassed $100,000.
Class believes that most are not actually donating and only participating as it is the latest trend.
“I think it’s very important to donate money if you have the means to do so and obviously it doesn’t have to be a large amount, because at the end of the day a little can go a long way,” Class continued, “A lot of the people I see do it on my feed don’t even bother to state the challenge name or put in the effort to research the point and message behind the challenge which just goes to show how little people actually care about spreading word of the cause and instead just want to feel included in something they see their friends do online for fun,” Class said.
Destine believes that even if people are not donating, it is still a chance for people to spread the word and promote mental health advocacy.
“I think that the challenge is a good way to raise awareness no matter if they are donating or not. Throwing a bucket of ice on yourself, you see people struggling to do it and I think it almost imitates people’s struggle with their mental health. So, I feel like this was a good challenge to raise awareness for this specific problem,” Destine said.
Many are saying that though it’s a new cause, they feel like it has been full circle for them as they have lived to see the challenge come back.
“I definitely think seeing the ice bucket challenge is full circle, I remember I was a little girl, and I watched my mom do it so it’s just crazy how we are doing the same things that our parents did now,” sophomore Shaw’Nira Wilcox stated.
