Graphic made by Phoenix Coons.
I, like many others, took part in the University of South Carolina MIND club’s “Speak Your MIND” Ice Bucket Challenge. But why is this seemingly old trend making a resurgence?
While the Ice Bucket challenge itself might seem like a lighthearted trend, its purpose is much deeper. On March 31, 2025, USC’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion club, began an ice bucket challenge in order to raise awareness for mental health problems and to encourage people to donate to Active Minds, an organization that encourages education on and the destigmatization of mental health. Since then the challenge has spread across the country, with thousands of participants.
The challenge itself consists of dumping a bowl, water bottle, bucket, or similar vessel of ice water onto yourself, and it can be done from the comfort of your own backyard. It is similar to a chain message, in the way that you are nominated for the challenge, and then you get to nominate a few people to do the same.
The USC MIND version of the challenge got its roots in the ALS Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge. ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that has an effect on the spine and nerve cells in the brain. The original Ice Bucket Challenge began in 2014, and over a decade later, we are seeing it make a comeback.
The “Speak Your MIND” challenge should serve as a reminder to us all that mental health is important. At Inspire we have a club called Bring Change to Mind, who focus on mental health. While it can be difficult to talk about, things like the Ice Bucket Challenge can help to bring discussions about mental wellbeing into our community.