Everyday, the internet makes rather unimportant news, videos, and, memes go viral. Despite the attention we pay to this disposable info, the online mass is still enthralled with things that are pretty irrelevant to our daily lives. Sure these videos can be fun to share, but spotlighting significant issues does wonders for the real causes at-hand. Thankfully, there are some calls-to-action (like 2014’s Ice Bucket Challenge) that can take the internet by storm.
The latest movement to receive attention online, is the “22 Push-Up Challenge”. You may have come across this trend over the summer. People across the globe are sharing videos of them completing the challenge, in order to raise awareness of the high suicide rates among veterans. Recently, the challenge has been embraced by stars like David Beckham, Guy Ritchie, and Charlie Hunnam among others.
The trend started in the United States, stirred by a reported average of 22 suicides by soldiers, every single day. In Canada, the numbers are 160 in about 10 years, which is still higher than the total number of soldiers lost in the Afghanistan war. The high rate of suicide in veterans and wounded soldiers, stems from the tragic coping with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). The struggles of mental health in soldiers, is unfortunately, very real. This is why those affected, decided to start the 22 Push-Up Challenge.
So how does it work? It’s fairly simple: You film yourself doing 22 push-ups, for 22 days, sharing a video each and every day. You may also be challenged to do so, by a friend on social media. Since the trend picked up in Canada, the ritual has begun to include charitable donations of the same numeric amount. People have been sending $22 to Wounded Warriors Canada, which helps active and veteran soldiers, and their families. So far, the organization has received $63,000 in just over a month. If you’re on Facebook, and see a notification that someone has nominated you for the 22 Push-Up Challenge, embrace it! This isn’t just another viral meme, it’s for a good cause!
