Over a decade ago, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Ice Bucket Challenge took the world by storm, becoming a worldwide trend, with many celebrities participating. The viral challenge aimed to spread awareness of ALS.
In March, Wade Jefferson, a student at the University of South Carolina, began the SpeakYourMIND Ice Bucket Challenge, taking inspiration from the ALS challenge and the world by storm. However, even with the new challenge’s sudden uprising among young adults and teenagers, some participants are not aware of its true meaning.
Even though they have missed the point, the Ice Bucket Challenge has still made a huge impact in helping spread mental health awareness.
According to the Parents Magazine, the challenge has raised over $342,000 in donations for Active Minds, the nation’s largest nonprofit mental health organization, and these donations have helped remove stigma around mental health.
In an interview, Palo Alto High School sophomore Tom Li spoke about the new Ice Bucket Challenge and its sudden popularity and trendiness.
“I did it because all of my friends were doing it, and I didn’t really know about the mental health part of it,” Li said. “Things are very trendy these days. It’s really easy to be a trend, rather than trying to support something bigger.”
Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have amplified the challenge far beyond its roots, with teens and influencers participating. Yet, many have not mentioned the campaign’s original goal. Thousands of videos have been posted with people squealing from cold water, many without a word as to why the challenge started.
Similar to Li, Paly senior Sophie Williams admitted that she felt peer pressured to join the challenge, because many of her friends participated.
“I did it because all my friends were doing it, and I kept being nominated, so I gave in to the peer pressure,” Williams said.
Even though the Ice Bucket Challenge hasn’t completely come across as a fundraiser, participants should not be blamed for missing the point. As Li and Williams mentioned, it is easy to go with the trend without thinking much of it, which is what happened for numerous participants.
On top of the peer pressure, another reason so many participants are oblivious to the true meaning of the challenge is that there were few ways for people to find out about it. Reading the news could inform readers about the challenges’ intentions, but most high school students don’t keep tight track of the news.
The main way participants could have heard about the mental health aspect of the challenge is by word or a small @ in the corner of each ice bucket social media post, linking the viewer to the Active Minds Instagram account.
With such scarce methods for participants to understand the challenge, Williams considers some alternatives that could get the word out better.
“Active Minds should provide more guidance,” Williams said. “I feel like they [Active Minds] could do something with a direct end goal, rather than just dumping a bucket of water on yourself.”
The SpeakYourMind Ice Bucket Challenge can be easily confused simply as a trend, and making their motives more direct could help Active Minds inform more people about its goals, leading to even more donations.
Despite the whopping numbers Active Minds has raised since the challenge came to life, there are still participants who aren’t aware of its real purpose. The SpeakYourMind Ice Bucket Challenge hasn’t even sniffed its ceiling yet, and with time and some adjustments, we can see the true potential of it.