The “Ice Bucket Challenge,” a viral fundraising campaign that raised millions for ALS research in 2014, has been reimagined by students at the University of South Carolina to tackle a new issue: mental health awareness.
The Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club’s #SpeakYourMIND campaign, launched on Instagram in March, adapts the challenge’s format to raise funds for Active Minds, a nonprofit whose mission is to mobilize youth and change mental health norms. Participants pour ice water over themselves, post the videos and nominate others to join — all while emphasizing the importance of speaking candidly about mental health.
The campaign surpassed $100,000 in donations on Friday and has attracted participation from high-profile figures such as former NFL players Peyton Manning and Emmanuel Sanders.
Wade Jefferson, a USC junior who founded the MIND club after losing two friends to suicide, said the campaign aims to normalize conversations around mental health and make them more accessible.
Jefferson was shocked by how widely the social media trend gained traction, having initially set a modest fundraising goal of $500 while expecting it to remain confined to the USC campus. He said witnessing its viral popularity has been surreal for the students involved.
Brett Curtis, director of community fundraising and events at Active Minds, said many nonprofits have long sought a similarly effective movement.
“I think fundraising professionals and nonprofits and causes have sat around tables for years trying to say, ‘What’s going to be our ice bucket challenge,’” Curtis said. “I do think there’s a little irony in that it is just the ice bucket challenge again, this time to talk about mental health.”
The ALS Association, which originally benefited from the 2014 challenge, has expressed support for the new effort.
“We’re thrilled to see the spirit of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge live on in new forms of activism,” the ALS Association said in a statement to NBC News.
At its peak popularity, the ALS ice bucket challenge garnered widespread attention, with public figures including former President George W. Bush, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Derek Jeter among those taking part.
Skeptics expressed concern that the challenge’s popularity was a fleeting trend and questioned whether it would lead to sustained funding and attention for ALS research.
As for the new challenge, Cutis emphasized that it was never solely about donations for Active Minds.
“Donations were always secondary,” he said. “This was a chance for us to support a group of students, and that’s always been our mission. And I’m just excited to see it keep going for as long as it does.”
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