The Ice Bucket Challenge Worked. Why Not Try It Again?

Is it déjà vu or have we seen this trend before?

It’s not just you. The Ice Bucket Challenge, which took over social media a decade ago, has found new life thanks to a group of college students who copied the concept, in its entirety, to spread mental health awareness.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is the Ice Bucket Challenge?

The original Ice Bucket Challenge, which grew out of other online fads but was popularized as an A.L.S. fund-raiser by the activists Pat Quinn and Pete Frates, was a campaign that began in 2014 to raise awareness and help find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The challenge was simple: film yourself dumping a bucket of ice-filled water over your head. Post it and challenge friends to either donate $100 to A.L.S. research within 24 hours or film their own watery video. (Many people opted for both.)

Did it work?

In a shockingly big way. The videos took off online, inspiring people around the world to drench themselves in freezing water for the cause and to urge friends to do the same. Celebrities from Taylor Swift to LeBron James to Bill Gates participated. The campaign raised hundreds of millions of dollars and drew worldwide attention to the disease. It was a rare moment of true, organic virality on a global scale.

A 2024 report by the group RTI, which was commissioned by the A.L.S. Association, said there was “clear evidence” that the Ice Bucket Challenge had substantially accelerated A.L.S. research.

Now it’s back?

It’s back. Wade Jefferson, a 21-year-old student at the University of South Carolina, said he was inspired by the success of the original Ice Bucket Challenge while trying to come up with an event for a mental health awareness club he founded on campus called MIND. (The name is an acronym Mental Illness Needs Discussion, which referenced a similarly-named club at his high school. He was motivated to start the club after losing two friends to suicide, he said.)