On March 31st, a social media trend emerged taking over Instagram and other social media platforms one post at a time: The University of South Carolina Speak Your Mind Ice Bucket Challenge.

This ice bucket challenge is to bring awareness to mental health and to break the stigma around talking about mental health issues.

To participate, each person is nominated and posts a video of themselves having cold water dumped on them, then proceeds to nominate 2-5 more people to the trend.

The ice bucket challenge has taken the Jesuit community by storm with people participating on campus after practices and games, as well as at home with friends and family.

“I feel like it really showed the connectedness between the people at Jesuit. I participated because my buddy nominated me, and then I participated with my lacrosse teammates, and we all did it after practice,” said junior Owen Vance.

Vance views the trend how it was intended, to advocate for mental health.

“It’s to spread awareness about mental health, plus people just want to have a fun thing to do with their friends.”

Since the trend relies on being tagged by others on social media, there could be an unintended peer pressure factor as well which could contradict the goal of mental health.

“[You] kind of have to [do it], if you get nominated you don’t look great [if you don’t participate]”, said junior James Kennedy.

Regardless of unintended social pressure, the trend is promoting awareness.

The Speak Your Mind Challenge has a goal to raise 250,000 dollars to donate to Active Minds, the largest nonprofit organization in the United States focused on mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms.

The Speak Your Mind challenge mirrors the ALS ice bucket challenge from 2014, which also took over social media gaining recognition from celebrities and politicians. The ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) challenge raised over 115 million dollars towards research and further development for clinical trials.