Mental Health Matters

USC Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket Challenge Goes Viral on Social Media

Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash

The University of South Carolina (USC) created a challenge to shine a light on the importance of mental health. The Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket Challenge invites people to dump a bucket of ice water on their head to show their commitment to changing how mental health is viewed. People post the video on Instagram and nominate three others to join the challenge.

“When I saw that it was to promote openness about mental health, I thought it was a good cause because I know that’s a personal issue for a lot of people,” junior Grier Derosier said.

This challenge fundraises for a nonprofit organization called Active Minds. This group lets young people who have been affected by mental illnesses have their voices heard. For more than 20 years, Active Minds has advocated for discussing mental health with younger people and encouraged them to speak out about mental well-being.