We can trace the origins of the Ice Bucket Challenge to the summer of 2014, where golfer Chris Kennedy was believed to be the first to pour a bucket of ice over his head in the name of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, sometimes known as motor neuron disease). The challenge went from town to town, spreading like wildfire until celebrities were participating to raise awareness for this neurodegenerative disease.
159 countries and 10 billion views later, 220 million dollars was raised for ALS.
Which brings us to 11 years later, but now the challenge is being used to raise awareness for mental health. Students from the University of Southern California formed an initiative called MIND – Mental Illness Needs Discussion.
The group launched the USC ‘Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket Challenge’ to raise funds for a non-profit organisation Active Minds, dedicated to challenging the stigma surrounding mental health in young persons and adults.
The USC ‘Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket Challenge’ raises funds for a non-profit organisation Active Minds.
Nominations are once again making their way around the world, and money is again being raised for a different cause.
However, the challenge is followed by controversy from many. ALS is still an underrepresented disease, and affects around 10 for every 100,000 people in the US, with estimation of higher rates across Europe. It has no current cure, and an average survival rate of 2-5 years post-diagnosis.
Mental health, on the other hand, is a increasingly prevalent cause that is talked about by many. A recent surge of awareness has surrounded mental health, with many charities fundraising and providing help to those affected in any sort of way.
It feels like ALS has been pasted over by a cause that already has so much representation today, and the controversy is prevalent all over social media.
By resurrecting the ice bucket challenge in the name of mental health, it takes away from the awareness of ALS, and as a new generation takes it on, the historic association is lost.
Those who participated the summer of 2014 remember the initial cause, and are upset about this disease losing the representation that it deserves. It feels like ALS has been pasted over by a cause that already has so much representation today, and the controversy is prevalent all over social media.
So go ahead and participate to raise awareness for mental health, but don’t forget its origins in raising money and awareness for ALS, the underrepresented terminal disease that started it all.