USC “Speak Your Mind” challenge breaks the ice at CVHS

“Thank you for nominating me for the USC Speak Your Mind challenge. I would like to nominate…” are the trending words heard on social media recently. The clip follows with a person being dumped with giant buckets of ice water. But why are people doing this? 

In 2014, the first ice bucket challenge kicked off to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. 

University of South Carolina (USC) sparked this ice bucket challenge once again to support mental health and spread awareness. 

On March 31, students in USC’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club posted a video, nominating their very first candidates to participate. 

Partnered with the Active Minds organization, students in USC MIND initially intended to raise only about $500 around campus. They have surpassed their goal overwhelmingly, raising over $400,000.

The challenge has traveled across the nation, reaching staff and students at CVHS. French teacher Mariya Snazina took part, inviting many of her students to participate. 

“It was important to show that not only students in the school, but teachers take part in this very important challenge,” Snazina said. “It’s very crucial to keep your mind healthy.” 

To complete the challenge, nominees record themselves participating in the ice bucket challenge, dumping buckets of ice water on their heads. They nominate two to five other people for the challenge who have 24 hours to also complete the challenge. After, donations are highly encouraged to the Active Minds fundraiser. 

The challenge has skyrocketed, raising a lot of attention and engagement to mental health. However, as a trend, it raises concern about how much students are truly understanding about what they are doing or why they are doing it. 

“With these kitschy things, I worry that it’s a superficial understanding of it. And people will use this thing and say ‘Oh, I’m an ally and an advocate’ and then not get it or reinforce it,” Sam Frank, lead social worker at the CVHS Wellness Center, said. “I don’t want it to be a checkbox, but rather a gateway to deeper understanding.” 

To learn more about Active Minds and their mission, visit www.activeminds.org. CVHS has many resources as well; reach out to counselors, trusted staff, and teachers, and the Wellness Center if in need. 

Mental health is an important topic to many people. The USC Speak Your Mind challenge spreads this message; it’s more than just a trend to scroll by.